For the second time in less than two weeks, military personnel have allegedly attacked electricity distribution workers in Lagos, leaving some staff members hospitalised.

The latest incident occurred at the Badagry Injection Substation, where soldiers from the Nigerian Army’s 15th Field Engineers Regiment in Topo Town reportedly assaulted Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) workers in the early hours of March 14, 2025.

This comes just days after a similar attack on Ikeja Electric (IE) staff by officers of the Nigerian Air Force from the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base in Ikeja on March 7.

Eyewitnesses said the soldiers stormed the Ikeja Electric headquarters in Alausa, Lagos, around 7:40 am in a military truck and two OP-MESA vehicles.

While tensions from the Ikeja Electric incident had yet to subside, military personnel allegedly invaded EKEDC’s facility, taking two staff members to their barracks at the 15th Field Engineers Regiment in Badagry. The attack was reportedly linked to power supply issues at the barracks over the past week.

The workers were allegedly tortured, while other security personnel and officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) fled upon sighting the armed soldiers.

The Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), the umbrella body for all Discos in Nigeria, confirmed the attack, stating that EKEDC had informed the barracks’ Commanding Officer, Lt. Col. S. Lawan, about ongoing transmission network upgrades affecting power supply in the area.

“Despite efforts to restore power, the feeder tripped due to excessive load. The abducted staff were eventually released at 4 am after being beaten,” ANED said in a statement.

Efforts to obtain a response from the Nigerian Army were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to the Assistant Director of Information of the 81 Division, Lt. Col. Olabisi Ayeni, went unanswered.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, was also unavailable for comments.