A High Court in Igbosere, Lagos, has awarded N1million damages against Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) for disconnecting a consumer over unpaid electricity bill by former occupant of the building.
Justice Ibidun Harrison described as “unlawful” EKEDC’s refusal to connect the customer to power source for unpaid bill consumed by a former occupant of the building. T
he plaintiff/claimant, Mr. Sunday Babalola, had through an originating summons, sued EKEDC for refusal to connect his building to the power source over an outstanding bill owed by a former occupant of the building.
While delivering the judgment, Justice Harrison said: “The court finds that the claimant, who is more or less a new customer, is not entitled to pay the outstanding bill consumed by the former occupant of the building, unless there is an agreement to exonerate the former landlord of the arrears.
The claimant had through his originating summons by his lawyer, Mr. Ademola Owolabi, made some declarations. The Originating Summons was brought pursuant to Sections 81 and 96 of the Electricity Power Sector Reforms Act, 2005 and Section 2 of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s Customer Service Standard of Performance for Distribution Companies, 2007. The claimant urged the court to declare that EKEDC had no right to refuse to connect his property at No. 7B, Brown Road, Aguda, Surulere, Ikate, Lagos to electricity, unless he pays for electricity consumed on another building, at No. 2, Adenuga St., Ikate.
Babalola said he purchased the property in July 2019 from the former landlord. “Upon purchase of the property at No. 7B, Brown Road Aguda, I approached EKEDC to apply for prepaid meter and was told to pay an outstanding bill of N755,000 previously owed by the former landlord.
“The defendant later asked that I pay N605, 000, when I explained that I was not the person who resided in the property, when the bill was incurred. I promptly paid the said sum to the defendant, who, however, installed prepaid meter on my property, but later refused to connect me to its distribution mains, claiming that there is another bill already consumed, which I must pay before they will connect my building to electricity,” Babalola said.
He urged the court to declare that the N605, 000 already collected from him by the defendant, which was for electricity consumed at No. 2, Adenuga St., Ikate, as a condition to connect his property at No. 7B, Brown St., Ikate, was illegal, null and void.
He also urged the court to order the defendant to connect his property at No. 7B, Brown Road to electricity.
But the defendant, through its lawyer, Mr. Ifeanyi Ekwo, filed a 21 paragraph-affidavit deposed to by one Mr. Clement Sanyaolu, an employee of the defendant. He urged the court to dismiss Babalola’s claims with cost, adding that the his claims amounted to an abuse of the court process.
He argued, among other things, that Babalola was bound to clear all outstanding electricity bills on the property before he would be connected to the defendant’s distribution network. He also averred that Brown Road and Adenuga Street are in the same location and that Babalola’s building has two gates, one facing Brown Road, the other facing Adenuga Street. He said the premises had the same account.