Power cut: How IBEDC staff, welders allegedly plunged Ikirun into darkness

By Isa Isawade, Osogbo

For months, the people of Ikirun and its surrounding communities in Osun State have endured total darkness, their nights pierced only by the flicker of candles and the hum of generators. Businesses have suffered, families have been left stranded, and frustration has simmered beneath the surface.

But in the early hours of Tuesday morning, at about 6 a.m., the mystery behind the town’s prolonged blackout began to unravel.

Acting on credible intelligence, police operatives attached to the Ikirun Division, led by the Divisional Police Officer, raced to the Eko-Ende Junction. There, they made a startling discovery: a team of six men, allegedly in the process of cutting down a high-tension powerline pole with a cutting machine powered by a generating plant.

The arrest that followed has sent shockwaves through the community and beyond, as investigators uncovered an alleged syndicate that may have been operating with inside knowledge of the power sector.

Among the six suspects apprehended were three staff members of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC): Onabamiji Emmanuel, 55; Bolaji Odusanya, 51, and Alimi Akeem, 36.

Others were IBEDC security officer Balogun Kehinde, 52 and two welders, Oyewo Hammed, 31, and Oladosu Hammed, 22.

Items recovered from the scene included the cutting machine, a generating plant, and a welding machine allegedly used in the act.

The Osun State Police Command, in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, described the arrests as a major breakthrough in the fight against the vandalism of public infrastructure, which has become a recurring nightmare in the state.

“These six suspects are suspected to be the ones terrorizing Ikirun and its environs,” the statement read, adding that investigations into the matter are ongoing.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Zungura, has ordered the case transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for discreet investigation, with a promise that the suspects will be charged to court upon the conclusion of inquiries.

As the community of Ikirun grapples with the revelation that those trusted to maintain public utilities may have been behind their suffering, the police have issued a stern warning to individuals and groups involved in vandalism and theft of public infrastructure.

“The Command will continue to deploy intelligence and operational resources to detect and apprehend offenders,” CP Zungura assured, while urging the public to support the police with timely and credible information to combat crime across Osun State.

For now, the residents of Ikirun wait, not just for the return of electricity, but for justice to run its course.