Power Outage in Abuja Community Linked to Alleged AEDC Misconduct

Kugbo residents in the Abuja Municipal Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have accused officials of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) of vandalizing a local transformer.

Ayuba Bature, a resident living a few metres from the transformer, said he witnessed AEDC staff cutting cables from the transformer in February 2026, claiming they were taking them for repairs.
Bature alleged that the action is a scheme to pressure residents into raising funds to replace the stolen cables. He said,
“AEDC staff in charge of this area are criminals; they steal cables from the transformer and pretend not to know what happened. This is not the first time. Whenever they remove items, residents end up contributing huge sums. How can they claim vandals did this? Strangers cannot easily access the area except AEDC workers.”
Another resident, Joy Nwosu, a trader, corroborated the claims, stating,
“I saw two AEDC workers inside the transformer removing wires around 5 a.m. They said they were taking it for repairs. This happened in February while I was arranging goods in my cold room.”
A trader who wished to remain anonymous added that residents have started contributing money, with some paying between ₦100,000 and ₦200,000. He expressed frustration, saying,
“I believe they are delaying the repair so residents will contribute more. The things stored in refrigerators worth millions of naira have been damaged due to the outage. AEDC workers are wicked.”
An AEDC staff member under the Karu area office, speaking confidentially, admitted the situation is difficult to explain.
“How can vandals enter a well-protected transformer? You cannot enter the area without familiarity. Some colleagues do have questions to answer about what happened,” he said.
In response, stakeholders, led by Kugbo Layout Landlords’ Association chairman Samuel Arome and legal adviser Titus Agundu, visited AEDC’s zonal office in Garki. The Chief Business Officer, Canice Emeka, promised a resolution. However, residents remain without power for nearly two months.
Attempts to reach AEDC’s Public Relations Officer, Omede Odekina, since March 16, 2026, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages went unanswered.