A Nigerian Journalist, publisher and Editor of www.theajasanews.com, Martin Odiete has alleged that AEDC officials from the Abacha Road division at Mararaba, Nasarawa state, Mr Hassan Usman Ndahi, Daniel Hassan and one popularly called Kizito all conspired to plant implicating evidence in his flat using it to accused him of by-Passing his pre-paid meter.

The journalist while narrating his experience to our reporter explained in detail how the three officials have made life unbearable for him and his family.

In his words, “Several months ago, Mr Hassan with his team visited our premises on their normal routine inspection and while on the inspection they discovered that one of the flats apparently the one before my flat which they had disconnected had light. And while inspecting to see where he got the light from discovered that he had tapped the light from my flat. He then approached me to inform me that my neighbor had been using my light without me knowing while also pointing at the wire which was directly under my meter board where he had tapped the light from. After the information, he called the man who admitted the offence. The man was penalized, and after paying what he was fined Mr Hassan ordered that he be disconnected from my light while they also went ahead to reconnect him properly.

“I never knew that while they claimed to have disconnected the wire from my neighbor’s flat on that day, they did not disconnect and detach it from under my meter board until on the 14th of October when I saw two AEDC officials, Mr. Daniel Hassan and Kizito walk straight to my flat and immediately point at the wire claiming that there was a by-passed of my meter and that the wire connection was the evidence to prove it, and before I could say Jack Robinson, the one called Kizito brought out his phone and began taking pictures of the connection, brought out a meter, placed it on one of the wire and then went ahead to disconnect my light after consulting with his colleague, Daniel. And when I saw the wire that they were pointing at and taking pictures of was the same wire that was used by my neighbor to tap light into his flat which Hassan discovered and said he disconnected, I drew their attention to it but whatever I said fell on deaf ear. They then gave me a form detailing in it that my fine was fifty one thousand five hundred Naira.

“I tried tirelessly to let them know that Hassan was aware of the connection and the history behind it, all my talk did not matter to them as it was obvious they were working on instruction. As a matter of fact, the leader of the team, Mr. Daniel Hassan abused me and my wife calling us thieves. I was dumfounded.

“At first, I was so confused, but after many days I decided to write to the AEDC headquarter asking them to send other officials to carry out the inspection hoping that those once would listen to me. All I was asking for was for a listening ear, but I was even more shocked when the new set of officials sent from the headquarters before coming to my flat had gone to meet with Hassan, Daniel and Kizito, the same people that disconnected my light to receive briefs from them. When they came to my flat it was so obvious from their body languages that they were not there to mediate. They immediately pointed at the same wire, and also began taking a new set of pictures and when they were through; they told me directly to my face that the decision of their other colleagues stood.

“I and my family had been left in darkness since then. And my neighbor who in the first place tapped the light from my flat feeling so bad for what we were going through went to meet Hassan in his office to demand explanation why they had to cut my light for a connection he did and Hassan knew about, and also why he failed to detach the wire totally from my flat after the disconnection. Hassan told him bluntly that the reasons they disconnected my light was more than the connection, stressing that they discovered that I had a change over inside my house and that I was only buying five hundred Naira Unit of light every month. So, it was obvious that he knew what he did and then I knew that it was a planned work because that was what Mr. Daniel used to abuse me and my wife on the day they cut the light telling everybody that cared to listen that we were using only five hundred unit of light monthly.

“Attached to this write up is a copy of the printout of my bills in the last six months. A breakdown of my payment schedule showed very clearly that it was a make-up story that has no iota of truth in it. From my payment record taking my last three purchase as example, on the 23rd of August I bought a N1000 unit of light, and it lasted till on the 21st, which is three weeks and some days. On the N21st of September I bought unit of N700 and it lasted for two weeks and few days. Then on the 5th of October I bought the then famous N500 Unit which was only running for nine days before my light was disconnected on October 14th. It was left with few unit which would not have lasted for more than two more days. Please you can take your time to go through the attached copy of my payment schedule and do the mathematics yourself. So, where did they get the story of N500 unit a month if not for mischief purpose. A typical case of giving a dog a bad name just to crucify him.

“And talking about the change over inside my house, the question Nigerians should ask him is which connection did they discover that supplied light to it, and where are the evidences by way of picture since it is in their tradition to take pictures of evidences? None and None! And it cannot be the same wire they were all busy taking pictures of since we all know how that one came about. So, it can easily be deduced that he deliberately left that wire there on that day as his only supposedly tangible evidence with the sole purpose of using it to frame me since his other allegations were not strong enough. If that wire was not there in the first place the whole issue of whether I have a change over or how much unit I buy would not have come up. The wire was supposed to be the link to the changeover. Unfortunately, he and his team goofed.

“The most pathetic thing about the whole set up is that you do not have a place to take your complaint to. The AEDC headquarter who said they have a department that handle such cases only exist on paper, as they do not take time to give your complaint any seriousness. In fact, one of the customers care persons that called told me that their men are professionals and do not make mistake. What she meant was that I was pursuing a dead case and it showed when the persons they sent to came.

“It is unfortunate that persons employed by the Federal Government to serve the people are using the same office to harass and intimidate them. Such persons are not fit to be in such offices. This is a case of harassment, intimidation, suppression, abuse of my personal Human right and abuse of office. I cannot begin to explain the humiliation I have gone through this past few weeks which is the reason I am pleading to well meaning Nigerians to prevail on AEDC to please reconnect my light. And if they refuse to comply I will have no other choice but to seek redress in the court of law,”