Disconnection Of Electricity In Ohohia Community: Residents Accuse President General, EEDC, Imo Electricity Regulatory Commission Of Extortion

– Urge Imo CP To Intervene 

Residents of Ohohia Mbieri Community in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State have expressed disappointment over what they described as the questionable silence and inability of the Imo State Electricity Regulatory Commission to direct the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company EEDC to restore electricity to Ohoha community three months after they were disconnected by EEDC, contrary to the judgment delivered by the Regulatory Commission after the Customer’s Forum it organized in March which urged the EEDC to stay action for two months..

The Regulatory Commission had in a judgment delivered on March 5 2025, ordered the EEDC not to disconnect power supply or issue fresh bills in Ohohia community for two months within which some  conditions would be met. But surprisingly the EEDC flagrantly flouted the directive and disconnected power supply to the community 5 days after the judgment was given. The entire community has been in darkness since then despite several visits to the Owerri and Enugu offices of the distribution company.

When contacted for comment on the issue in April, the Chairman, Imo State Electricity Commission, Engr Bede Opara said, “yes we are aware that the EEDC flagrantly disobeyed the judgment delivered by the Commission after the Customers Forum we organized in March which they attended. We have given them time to do the needful. If they don’t take remedial action after the specified time frame, we will take necessary action to ensure compliance”. But surprisingly, the commission has not done anything  about the unpleasant situation that has drastically affected the people till date.

Some residents of the community who spoke on the condition of anonymity, expressed dismay over what they described as the “Imo State Regulatory Commissions questionable and lackadaisical approach to the issue giving rise to speculations that “something is actually wrong somewhere. If not, why would a regulatory commission empowered to curtail the excesses of distribution companies and ensure sanity in the sector keep quiet and refuse to take any concrete step towards resisting such demeaning affront by EEDC, more than three months after its judgment was flouted with impunity.”

“As I speak to you now the President General of Ohohia community, who, from all indications is working hand in gloves with the EEDC and the regulatory commission to exploit the people instead of seeking justice has mandated all eligible electricity consumers in Ohohia community to pay 10% of their total electricity bills without bothering to ascertain how those outrageous bills were arrived at because over ninety percent of the consumers don’t have meters. Some people reportedly paid money to staff of EEDC who came with POS machines and also gave personal account details. The President General, Oscar Okorie,  also in a broadcast he made to the people recently talked about setting up a task force that wiould be going round monthly to collect money for electricity bills from the people and remit same to the EEDC contrary to stipulations in the Electricity Act that outlawed bulk billing.

According to them, “instead of the President General Oscar Okorie to concentrate on seeking justice by persuading the regulatory commission to compel the EEDC to restore electricity to our community in line with the regulatory commission’s judgment, he is more interested in stampeding residents of the community to pay electricity bills that they do not know how it was computed. Why did he suddenly sidetrack and avoid the Association for Public Policy Analysis (APPA) a top notch human rights and advocacy group that that facilitated and led Ohohia and other communities to the meeting. It is being alleged in some quarters that it is because the National President of the association, Comrade Princewill Okorie who has successfully fought such battles for other communities has zero tolerance for corruption and all forms of shady practices that does not align with their alleged intention to extort and milk the community dry.”

One thing the President General and his cohorts don’t know is that the youths are getting restive and may decide to vent their anger and frustration on those they think are oppressing them. For instance most of them own barbing salons and  hairdressing salons, restaurants/beer parlors, Bet9ja outlets, etc that depend on electricity for their operations”.

We therefore call on the state government, the Imo state Commissioner of Police, Consumer Protection Council and other relevant agencies to look into the matter with a view to avoiding the breakdown of law and order.