FCCPC seals Ikeja Disco’s head office over consumer rights violation

Officials of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission on Thursday sealed the premises of the Ikeja Electric Distribution Company in Lagos. | Credit: Channels TV

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The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has sealed the corporate headquarters of Ikeja Electric over alleged non-compliance and violation of consumer rights.

PUNCH Online reports that the operation was carried out on Thursday morning in the presence of security agents.

In a video by Channels Television, staff of the company were sent out as officials of the commission placed the building under lock and key.

The DisCo confirmed the development, saying it is engaging the FCCPC to ensure other customers are not affected by the shutdown of its headquarters situated in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos State.

FCCPC’s Director of Surveillance and Investigation, Bola Adeyinka, said the enforcement was carried out in line with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018, following repeated engagements that yielded no compliance.

“Sealing this facility is a proportionate enforcement measure taken only after repeated engagement and several opportunities for voluntary compliance.

“The seal will remain in place until Ikeja Electric complies fully with the directives issued by both NERC and the FCCPC and provides written evidence of that compliance,” Adeyinka said in a statement on Thursday.

According to the commission, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission had issued a binding decision directing Ikeja Electric to unbundle a Maximum Demand account into 20 non-Maximum Demand accounts.

The order, it was learnt, required the company to recognise 19 residential units and a service point owned by the complainant as separate customer units and to provide the required metering and connection.

“Ikeja Electric did not carry out that decision. Because of this failure, the complainant has been without an electricity supply for more than two and a half years.

“This was despite paying all charges requested by Ikeja Electric and meeting every obligation. “The lack of electricity has prevented the complainant from putting the 19 residential units to use,” it was stated.

The commission said it engaged Ikeja Electric several times, including notifying the company of the outstanding NERC decision.

It explained that it issued a directive in April 2025 outlining the steps required and the timelines for compliance.

However, it added, “No action was taken. On 2nd October 2025, the commission issued a Compliance Notice requiring full compliance within seven business days. The company still did not comply.”

Ikeja Electric reacts

The Head of Corporate Communications at Ikeja Electric, Kingsley Okotie, said the matter was a compliance issue raised by the FCCPC, adding that the company had responded and was in the process of doing the necessary things.

“It has to do with a compliance issue that was raised by the commission to us. And more like what we’re to do. But, of course, in the expected action, we had certain reservations based on our own internal operations and how it will work out.

“And so, we wrote back to the commission. But somehow, maybe our reason was not taken, and they decided to make the visit. They are a legal entity, fully backed by law. So we had no choice but to allow them to do their work,” he said.

Okotie stressed that despite the sealing of the headquarters, electricity distribution to customers continued without disruption.

“But, of course, as a responsible organisation, also knowing the fact that our service is essential, especially at this critical time, our commitment to continue to distribute electricity to consumers and our customers remains intact. And we are still doing that as we speak now.

“Even though the headquarters premises have been sealed off, we are also ensuring that we do effective coordination of all our operational centres so that an issue that is involving a minority of people is not going to affect the majority of customers who need supply. What is paramount is that we resolve it while already engaging them,” he added.

He described the commission’s approach as unfortunate, saying the matter could have been resolved without media involvement.

“At the same time, we’ll continue to keep up the electricity supply to negotiations. Unfortunately, the approach is this way. It has gone out to the media, because they came with the media to carry out this activity.

“But for us, it’s more about giving supply and service to the people who should get it, as opposed to us having this issue.

“There are better ways we would have handled this disagreement outside of what has happened, but it is what it is. We will come out of it as always. That’s the situation now,” he stated.

On whether the seal could affect operations if the office remained locked for an extended period, Okotie said the company was working to ensure it did not.

“We pray it doesn’t, but we don’t want it to affect our operations. That’s the commitment. We don’t want it to affect operations, because if we have a supply from the TCN, we have to distribute it.

“So, we don’t want it to affect operations in any way. That’s why we are appealing for a voice of reasoning, that we can resolve this issue without letting it affect other customers within the network,” he submitted.

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