By Tina Amanda
The Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) has accused the Rivers State Police of compromising the investigation into the brutal assault of its member, Comrade Gboro Benjamin, in the Umuebule community, Etche Local Government Area, Rivers State.
According to the Union, Benjamin, an employee of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) and the Occupational Health and Safety Officer of the Association in PHED Beta II Area, was on official duty to check for prepaid meter bypasses at Diamond Estate, along Shell Location Road in Umuebule IV. During this routine task, he was attacked and severely injured by some PHED customers in the area.
Reacting to the incident, SSAEAC’s Deputy General Secretary for the South East and South South, Comrade Innocent Lord-Douglas, accused the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Innocent Igbekile, from Oyigbo Police Division, of compromising the case.
Lord-Douglas claimed that the officer threatened to assault the PHED Chief Security Officer and some union members who visited the scene of the attack.
“When I got wind of the incident, I told our members in PHED to get the Police to arrest the culprits. By the time the Chief Security Officer of PHED got to Oyigbo Police Station, the wife of the man had already incidented the case.
“On enquiry, the IPO in charge of the case Innocent Igbekile of Oyigbo Police Station even threatened to beat up the CSO of PHED and to call bad boys around to chase away union members that accompanied the CSO to the scene of the incident if they try to disconnect the transformers feeding the woman, So you see? The Police is already compromised”.
He disclosed that the attack was carried out by a PHED customer named Nnabuike George with meter number 0124000344273.
Lord-Douglas threatened to shut down power supply in the entire Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State, over the brutal attack on its member, Comrade Gboro Benjamin, by PHED customers in the area.
“Due to the rampant cases of prepaid meter bypass customers in the system, our members do go about on meters’ checking. Besides, these meters are not the personal property of customers but the property of DisCos. So Benjamin asked for access to check Nnabuike George’s meter, which is reportedly being shared with a bar in the area.
‘They denied him access and instead, the man, his wife, his son, and people in the bar descended on him with planks, beating him to a pulp and hitting him badly in the eye.
“Our next resolve would be to shut out the power supply in the whole of Etche LGA until we get justice for our member. The man is critically injured, and information has it that he may suffer near blindness if urgent and intensive medical attention is delayed.
“If he becomes blind, what will happen to his family? What will be the fate of our members in the field? So we will do everything legally possible to get justice to serve as a deterrence to people who are fond of attacking electricity workers in the field.
“When we shut out the entire Etche LGA from getting power supply, the LGA Chairman, paramount rulers, the Police, and other stakeholders will produce the culprit, who is currently at large”.
He called for a thorough investigation into the case, noting that the Union will ensure justice is served.
