ARMED personnel from the Air Force Base in Ikeja, Lagos, assaulted PUNCH correspondent Dare Olawin on Thursday morning.
The military officers stormed the headquarters of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC), located opposite MITV in Ikeja, around 7:40am.
Olawin had arrived at the office to join other journalists for an event in Adiyan, Ogun State, where a solar project was to be unveiled. Reporters were scheduled to gather at the location before heading to the venue.
However, the Air Force personnel spotted the journalists inside a coaster bus, dragged them out, and subjected them to physical assault, forcing them to sit on the floor.
The soldiers confiscated Olawin’s Android phone, a small Itel phone, and a white power bank. They also threatened to shoot him if he attempted to speak.
Led by a female officer, the Air Force personnel took control of the IKEDC office for over an hour and a half, assaulting staff and others present.
They blocked access roads to the premises, allowing them to intimidate and harass people within the area without interference.
It was gathered that the attack was triggered by the disconnection of their military base from the power supply.
Before leaving, the officers took engineers and drivers from the office, stating that they would be forced to restore electricity to the barracks
According to Chief Corporation Communications of Ikeja Electric, Kingsley Okotie, the armed men embarked on a rampage, breaking down doors as they searched for the CEO of IKEDC, Mrs Folake Soetan.
“When she was found, Air Force personnel assaulted her and bundled her into a trunk of a vehicle in the premises,” he said.
