Associate Professor, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies (FCMS), Lagos State University (LASU), Tunde Akanni, has raised the alarm over alleged extortion practices by the Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC).
In a formal appeal addressed to the Vice-Chairman of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Tunji Bello, and the General Manager of the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA), Afolabi Solebo, Akanni called for urgent intervention against what he termed “rampaging extortion” targeting customers in Ikeja.
According to Akanni, IKEDC has been deactivating UNISTAR pre-paid meters serving residents of Lagos State Government (LASG) quarters at 47 Sobo Arobiodu Street, Ikeja GRA, despite directives from FCCPC against tampering with such meters.
“What they do is await the exhaustion of the running credits on meters, allow customers to recharge their cards, but ensure they are unable to reload. Once this happens, they claim the meter is bad and due for replacement,” he explained.
Akanni described the process as a calculated effort to coerce customers into purchasing new meters at exorbitant costs.
“They deceitfully convince customers to allow the retrieval of the UNISTAR meters. Once hope begins to fade, customers are compelled to pay arbitrary bills or make desperate reconnection requests,” he said.
He further alleged that these actions have led to inflated electricity bills, with some residents receiving charges as high as ₦270,000 far above their typical consumption.
Read Also: Man calls out IKEDC over crazy bills
Sharing his personal ordeal, Akanni recounted how IKEDC operatives retrieved his UNISTAR meter on December 27, 2024, after he recharged with ₦25,000 but was unable to reload due to a deliberate deactivation.
“Despite citing the FCCPC directive to them, I was told to apply online for a new meter at a cost of ₦120,000. When I visited their office to follow up, I was informed that their portal was down, and arbitrary billing would continue indefinitely,” he lamented.
The FCCPC had previously warned IKEDC and other distribution companies against unauthorized replacements of UNISTAR meters, emphasizing that such actions were non-compliant with regulatory directives.
However, Akanni noted that IKEDC has persisted with these practices, even targeting residents of government quarters.
“If they have the effrontery to subject LASG employees to this embarrassing situation, one can imagine what helpless private citizens are going through,” he stated.
Akanni has urged FCCPC and LASCOPA to take immediate action to protect consumers from IKEDC’s alleged extortion and arbitrary billing practices.
“This onslaught against lawful customers must be stalled. Your intervention is urgently needed to restore fairness and transparency in electricity supply,” he appealed.
Efforts to reach IKEDC for comment were unsuccessful at the time of this report.