YEDC Condemns Assault on Staff in Yagai, Kasuwan Bera Communities

Yola Electricity Distribution Company has issued a strong condemnation of recent attacks against its personnel in Yagai and Kasuwan Bera communities in Jalingo, Taraba State, warning that continued violence could force the company to withdraw services from affected areas.

The incidents, which involved harassment and physical assault against YEDC staff carrying out routine operational duties, have prompted the utility company to remind residents that attacking authorized personnel constitutes a criminal offense under Nigerian law.

According to a statement signed by Blessing Tunoh, YEDC Communications Officer, the assaulted staff members were performing lawful duties including ongoing metering exercises, fault clearing, revenue collection, and prepaid monitoring when they encountered hostility in the two Jalingo communities.

“Such attacks on staff carrying out lawful duties including ongoing metering exercise, fault clearing, revenue collection and Prepaid monitoring are unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” the statement read, emphasizing what the company described as a worrying trend of violence against utility workers.

YEDC invoked Section 220, Subsection 1 of the Electricity Act 2023, which criminalizes assaulting or obstructing authorized utility personnel. The company stressed that grievances about service, billing, or metering must be addressed through official complaint channels rather than violence.

The statement’s firm tone suggests mounting frustration within the distribution company over what it characterized as a pattern of hostility toward field staff. YEDC noted that recent events have highlighted situations where employees encounter physical attacks during legitimate operational activities.

For the workers on the receiving end of these assaults, the incidents represent occupational hazards that go far beyond the technical challenges of maintaining electricity infrastructure. Metering officers, revenue collectors, and maintenance crews now face physical danger while simply trying to do their jobs.

The company warned that such actions endanger not only the lives and wellbeing of employees but also disrupt service delivery and pose risks to electrical installations within affected communities. That warning carries implicit consequences: communities that attack utility workers may find themselves with longer outage response times or reduced service quality.

YEDC’s statement indicated the company will continue to engage community leaders and relevant authorities to ensure electricity services are provided promptly and that staff can operate safely. That engagement represents the diplomatic approach, but the statement also included a harder edge.

“YEDC notifies it’s esteemed customers to always seek approved means of redress in ensuring grievances are resolved,” the statement continued. “Resorting to violence will create an atmosphere of hostility and the company will have to withdraw it’s services from such communities.”

The threat of service withdrawal represents the ultimate leverage utility companies possess when facing community hostility. For residents of Yagai and Kasuwan Bera, the warning means continued attacks on YEDC staff could result in being cut off from the electricity grid entirely.

According to The Gazette News (Nigeria), the incidents in Jalingo reflect broader tensions between electricity distribution companies and consumers across Nigeria. Disputes over estimated billing, meter installation delays, prolonged outages, and perceived poor service quality have created environments where some communities view utility workers with suspicion or hostility.

However, YEDC’s position is that regardless of legitimate grievances customers may have, physical violence against field staff crosses a line that cannot be tolerated. The company emphasized that the safety of employees is paramount, a statement that prioritizes worker protection over service delivery in hostile environments.

The reference to Section 220 of the Electricity Act 2023 provides legal backing for potential prosecution of individuals who assault utility personnel. Whether YEDC or law enforcement authorities will actually pursue criminal charges against attackers in Yagai and Kasuwan Bera remains unclear from the statement.

What is clear is that the distribution company wants residents to understand that attacking workers carries both legal consequences under federal law and practical consequences in the form of potential service withdrawal.

The mention of specific activities the assaulted staff were performing—metering exercises, fault clearing, revenue collection, prepaid monitoring—suggests the attacks may have been motivated by resistance to these particular operations. Metering exercises, in particular, often generate community opposition when residents who have been receiving unmetered electricity suddenly face the prospect of paying for actual consumption.

Revenue collection visits can also trigger hostility when customers dispute bills they consider inflated or inaccurate. The prepaid monitoring mentioned likely refers to inspections of prepaid meters to ensure they’re functioning properly and haven’t been tampered with, activities that can create tension with customers engaged in meter bypass or other forms of electricity theft.

YEDC’s call for customers to use approved complaint channels acknowledges that legitimate grievances exist but insists those must be resolved through proper procedures. The company maintains contact information including social media handles and an email address for complaints, suggesting alternative pathways for addressing service issues.

For community leaders in Yagai and Kasuwan Bera, the YEDC statement serves as both warning and invitation: warning that violence will result in service withdrawal, and invitation to engage constructively in ensuring safe operating conditions for utility workers.

The incident adds Jalingo to a growing list of locations across Nigeria where utility workers face physical danger while performing duties. As electricity distribution companies push harder on revenue collection and metering to improve their financial viability, such confrontations may become more frequent unless sustainable solutions for addressing customer grievances can be found.

For now, YEDC has drawn a clear line: protect our staff or lose electricity service. Whether that ultimatum produces safer working conditions or simply escalates tensions in Yagai and Kasuwan Bera will become apparent in the coming weeks.