By Suzan Edeh, Bauchi
The management of Jos Electricity Distribution (JED) Plc has strongly condemned an alleged invasion of its Bauchi State Head Office by personnel of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), following a dispute over unpaid electricity bills.
The incident, which occurred on the afternoon of September 18, 2026, reportedly led to the brief abduction, intimidation, and physical assault of JED Plc staff members.
According to an official statement from JED Plc, the utility company disconnected power supply to the NAF residential quarters along Ningi Road on September 14, 2026.
The company stated that the residential quarters had a history of non-payment, operating under an unfulfilled assumption that their electricity charges would be absorbed by the main NAF base billing system.
After prolonged non-payment and a failure to settle the mounting debt, JED Plc executed the disconnection in line with standard regulatory and operational procedures.
JED Plc alleges that rather than utilizing administrative or legal channels to resolve the dispute, NAF personnel launched an “unwarranted and intimidating show of force” by invading the GRA office in Bauchi.
During the raid, air force personnel allegedly took the State Operating Officer, Mr. Samaila Isa Bukar, alongside several meter installers who were on-site for the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP).
The utility company detailed the following events during the encounter to include forced Abduction where staff members were loaded into Air Force vehicles and driven to the disconnected residential quarters, Physical Assault where JED meter installers were subjected to intense physical assault upon arrival.
The also complained about threats of Violence where the State Operating Officer was allegedly threatened with severe physical harm if electricity was not immediately restored and Information Blackout where Personnel had their mobile phones seized by the soldiers, who threatened anyone attempting to document or record the incident.
