PUNCH Reporter Assaulted by Air Force Officers, Phone Seized After Ikeja Electric Raid

Armed Air Force personnel from the Ikeja Base in Lagos assaulted PUNCH correspondent Dare Olawin on Thursday morning during a raid at the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) headquarters.

The military officers stormed the IKEDC office, located opposite MITV in Ikeja, around 7:40 a.m., following the reported disconnection of their barracks from the power supply.

Olawin, who had arrived to join other journalists for an event in Adiyan, Ogun State, was dragged out of a Coaster bus alongside his colleagues. The Air Force officers forcefully detained and assaulted the reporters, making them sit on the floor.

The soldiers confiscated Olawin’s Android phone, an Itel phone, and a power bank, warning him against speaking and even threatening to shoot him.

A female officer led the military raid, which saw personnel seizing control of the IKEDC premises for over 90 minutes, during which they assaulted employees and blocked access roads.

Reports indicate that before leaving, the officers took IKEDC engineers and drivers by force, demanding they restore electricity to the military base.

According to Kingsley Okotie, Chief of Corporate Communications at Ikeja Electric, the armed men stormed the premises in search of IKEDC CEO Mrs. Folake Soetan, breaking down doors in the process.

“When she was found, Air Force personnel physically assaulted her and forced her into the trunk of a vehicle within the premises,” Okotie revealed.

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