CTG to seek redress for Purdha Women over unfair disconnection of Light by Igboogbo Community

A Transparency Group in Nigeria, the Centre for Transparency in Governance (CTG), had set to seek redress for Purdha women over illegal disconnection of electricity supply to their house in Igbogbo community area of Ikorodu in Lagos State.

Since Tuesday 28th Day of December 2021, they are preparing for a legal battle against the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) which the acclaimed Chairman of Awesu/Orere-Abosan Estate alleged to direct them to source for more than Two Million Naira for repairing of Transformer or over Six Million Naira to buy new Transformer in the area.

CTG however, maintained that the acclaimed Estate Chairman(+2348033016093) had violated the fundamental rights of the purdha women to electricity supply, explaining that the acclaimed Estate Chairman of Awesu/Orere-Abosan by trying to precipitate religious crisis in the area because the house of the purdha women did not owe the IKEDC.

It declared that the step taken by the group(CTG) to fight for the rights of the purdha women was to
curb the religion crisis that might have erupted in the area with the action of the acclaimed Estate Chairman,who is Christian, when the Ikorodu DPO,Officer Akinsanya(Mrs)-+2348037383846, failed in her statutory duty to act professionally on the matter when one of the Purdha women, Mrs. Ajayi(+2347033690256) reported the matter to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at the Station located at Barrack Bus Stop, along Igbogbo Road, Ikorodu Lagos.

The group also promised to drag the Divisional Police Officer(DPO) of Ikorodu Divisional Police Station to the Police authourities including; Inspector General of Police (IGP), Police Service Commission (PSC), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and host of others, for neglecting the reality on ground on the matter by not allowing Mrs. Ajayi to write a statement in order to make an entry of the matter when she reported to her station on Tuesday 28th of December, 2021.

According to investigation, it has been revealed that the people of the community had been the subjects of extortion from time to time in recent past by these set of people on behalf of Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) by insisting that the authority of Igboogbo office of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) had told them to levy the over Two-Thousand Four Hundred (2,400) buildings of the community to pay sum of Twenty-five Thousand Naira (N25,000) per building which to the tune of over Six Million Naira (N6,000,000) to buy new Transformer.

But investigation also revealed that the failure to gather fund now, snowball to the payment of sum of Ten Thousand Naira (N10,000) to the tune of over Two Million Four Hundred Thousand Naira(N2,400,000) by the members of the Community
recently as claimed by the acclaimed Estate Chairman that the IKEDC officials directed for repairing of the Community Transformer with sum.

But investigation further revealed that the acclaimed Estate Chairman deliberately not told the purdah women about the payment of Ten Thousand Naira(N10,000) before they cut their light from the pole because there husband was not around and he was not aware of the payment too.

It added that on November 7th, 2021, one woman called Iya-Anu(+2348026440493) on the directive of the acclaimed Estate Chairman, came to collect sum of Five Hundred Naira(N500) from the purdha women, for repairing of the same community Transformer.

Speaking on the intervention of the Transparency Group (CTG) on the issue, through its Director of Mobilization, Comrade Michael James, condemned the illegal action of the acclaimed Estate Chairman which it could have precipitate religion crisis in the area, alleging that one woman called Iya Zainab with phone number:-(+2348028393679), was brain behind the use of the acclaimed Estate Chairman to deal with the purdha women because one of them who is tailoring by profession, refused to accept a cloth to sew from her, claiming that she has many clothes to sew during and after the festival.

Comrade James, asked rhetorically that why they did not go to the purdha women to inform them about the payment of Ten Thousand Naira (N10,000) for repairing of the community Transformer if they did not keep any malice against them for their religion beliefs.

It was learnt that the DPO Akinsanya had earlier promised to do justice to the matter when one of the human rights leaders called her on the matter but justice yet to prevail till the time of filling this report because they are yet to reconnect the illegal disconnection electricity of the purdha women up till this moment.

Signed:

Comrade Atanda Olaniyan.
Assistant Secretary General(ASG),
Centre for Transparency in Governance(CTG)

+2347025191448 /+2348025000651.