The Akwa Ibom State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has denied allegations that its officers attacked the Atan Offot community in Uyo Local Government Area, shooting at citizens and injuring three people.
According to The PUNCH, the incident, which took place on Thursday, August 15, 2024, began when officials from the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, led by an individual named Daniel, visited the community accompanied by NSCDC operatives.
The PHEDC team disconnected some customers’ electricity and confiscated their cables.
Tensions escalated when one resident demanded the return of his cable.
In response, Daniel allegedly took a jackknife from one of the NSCDC officers and used it to stab someone in the hand.
On Saturday, in a statement, the Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC Akwa Ibom State Command, Friday Ekerete, refuted these claims.
He explained that the NSCDC personnel had only intervened to recover the cables, but were met with hostility from the community.
Ekerete explained that the officers were attacked with stones, iron objects, and sticks by a mob armed with dangerous weapons, forcing them to focus on rescuing the PHEDC officials from the violent situation.
Ekerete further noted that the State Commandant, Eluwade, had since met with representatives of the Atan Offot community, and the issues had been resolved.
The NSCDC’s statement, titled ‘NSCDC Operatives Rescue PHED Personnel from Being Lynched to Death by Angry Youth at Atan Offot Community’, detailed the events as follows:
“On Thursday, 15th August 2024, PHEDC personnel on enforcement visited some houses on Udo Ekong Ekwere Street in ATAN OFFOT community in Uyo LGA who had illegally reconnected their wires that were disconnected due to non-payment of electricity bills. An offence punishable by Sections 9, 10 and 11 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act. The two affected customers had their wires disconnected at the end of July 2024 for failure to pay their electricity bills.
“The PHEDC enforcement team were accompanied by NSCDC personnel who have the mandate to ensure the protection of all critical infrastructure in the state and offer protection to PHEDC officials due to the incessant attacks they face in the line of duty from some hostile communities. They successfully disconnected the wires of the affected customers, and since they had illegally reconnected it themselves earlier without sorting out their bills, the officials decided to take the wires with them after giving them a disconnection order. They were then advised to visit the PHEDC office to resolve and reconcile their issues.
“Rather than oblige to the advice, the two affected men, who should have been arrested for tampering with electrical cables contrary to Section 9 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, attempted to forcefully retrieve the seized wires, which was resisted by PHEDC officials.
“In a short time, they mobilized lots of youths, launched a violent mob attack and beat up the PHEDC officials, attempting to overpower them and retrieve their seized wires and other valuables from the vehicle.
“NSCDC personnel accompanying the PHEDC officials had to intervene by attempting to recover the wires, but the mob were armed with dangerous weapons, resorted to attacking the officers while others pelting them with stones, iron objects, sticks amongst others, and their focus at this time was to rescue the PHEDC officials alive from the violent threat unleashed on them by the mob.
“One officer was severely injured with a dangerous weapon and subsequently rushed to the hospital for treatment”.
