Confusion in Ilesa as youths protest over blackout

There was tension in Ilesa, Osun State, yesterday morning as youths took to the streets protesting protracted power outage by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC). The rioters accused the IBEDC of withholding electricity supply to their communities on the pretext that some youths assaulted its staff members. The youths declared they had run out […]

There was tension in Ilesa, Osun State, yesterday morning as youths took to the streets protesting protracted power outage by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).

The rioters accused the IBEDC of withholding electricity supply to their communities on the pretext that some youths assaulted its staff members.

The youths declared they had run out of patience after a two-week total blackout and had to express their anger by the protest.

They, however, turned violent as they attacked virtually everybody in sight, including traders, transporters and journalists.

Some of them seized the working tools of reporters from Unique FM radio station and damaged vehicles. Gadgets seized from the reporters included cameras and a tripod. They molested the newsmen who attempted to cover the protest.

Soldiers had to be eventually deployed in Ilesa to assist the police to restore law and order.

The Police Public Relations Officer for Osun State Police Command, Folasade Odoro, told Daily Trust yesterday afternoon on the phone that normalcy had, however, returned to the town.

A broadcast journalist in the state, Mr Femi Olanipekun, condemned as “unjustifiable” the decision of the IBEDC to throw Ilesa into darkness because of the action of some youths.

Olanipekun said, “”While the attack on IBEDC staff should be condemned in the strongest terms possible, I think it’s absolutely irresponsible of a public service provider to shut down an entire community because of the actions of some deviants.

“So IBEDC, in its wisdom, decided to punish the Ijesa people by throwing the entire Ijesaland (six local governments) into total darkness. How do you justify throwing the entire Ijesaland of almost one million people into darkness because some youths from only Bolorunduro and Olomilagbala assaulted your staff?”