A sudden blackout has engulfed Imo State after the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) directed electricity workers to withdraw their services following what it described as a violent attack by armed police officers at the Egbu 132/33KV Transmission Substation.
Naijaonpoint understands that the development came after police operatives allegedly stormed the facility, assaulted staff on duty and forced an unauthorised outage.
According to the union, the officers, said to be acting on behalf of the state government, forcefully entered the control rooms, vandalized equipment and disrupted power operations.
Workers on duty were allegedly held at gunpoint, beaten and abducted to an undisclosed location, sparking widespread outrage within the power sector.
In a statement issued Saturday night, November 15, NUEE’s Acting General Secretary, Dominic Igwebike, condemned the incident in strong terms.
“NUEE expresses deep shock and outrage over the level of gangsterism and unprofessional conduct displayed today by police officers acting on behalf of the Imo State Government,” the statement read.
“These officers forcefully invaded and vandalised the control rooms at the Egbu 132/33KV Transmission Substation in an attempt to compel operators to grant an illegal outage.”
He added that officers “disconnected power at gunpoint and held all staff on duty hostage, forcing them to open breakers under duress.”
The union further alleged that the officers unleashed violence on every worker in sight, destroying personal belongings, including phones, laptops and vehicles, and vandalising CCTV cameras.
“The police officers executed this brutal and barbaric assault on innocent workers and abducted them to an undisclosed location,” Igwebike added.
NUEE demanded the immediate release of the abducted staff as well as a formal undertaking from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), the Federal Ministry of Power and the Inspector General of Police to guarantee the safety of electricity workers nationwide.
It also called for prompt replacement of destroyed property and full medical attention for all assaulted staff.
The union ordered its members to stay away from all power installations until further notice.
“We cannot continue to work under conditions of brutality, intimidation, and threats to life. Work can only resume when the safety of staff and property is fully guaranteed,” the statement added.
NUEE warned that failure to address the situation immediately could trigger a nationwide shutdown of electricity services.
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