Operations across Anambra State under the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) were brought to a standstill on Thursday as members of the Nigerian Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) protested the alleged arrest and continued detention of five of their colleagues.
The protesting workers accused EEDC management of masterminding the arrest, which reportedly took place on July 31, with operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Awkuzu allegedly executing the detentions. Among those held is a mother of three.
The protest disrupted activities at EEDC offices in Awka, Onitsha, and other major districts. Workers shut down customer service centers, barricaded entrances, and marched through surrounding streets with placards demanding justice.
Messages on the placards included: “Release our members unlawfully detained,” “Stop slavery of your worker,” and “Electricity workers say no to intimidation and harassment.”
NUEE Chairman in Anambra, Ndukwu Bonaventure, described the arrests as illegal and said it took union officials five days to locate the detained staff, who were eventually found at the SARS detention facility in Awkuzu.
“For days, no one—including their families—knew where they were taken. After searching police facilities across the state, we discovered them at SARS,” Bonaventure said. “We won’t condone misconduct, but proper disciplinary procedures must be followed. Our members are not criminals and should not be treated as such.”
He added that union members would not return to work until their detained colleagues are released unconditionally.
The protest also spotlighted deeper grievances over alleged poor welfare, unsafe working conditions, and neglect by EEDC. Vice Chairman of NUEE in the state, Friday Idoko, recalled surviving an electric shock incident two weeks earlier and receiving no support from management.
“I spent a week in the hospital and returned to work yesterday—no one from management even checked on me,” Idoko
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