Court awards N.8m damages against YEDC over illegal disconnection in Taraba

A Taraba State High Court sitting in Jalingo and presided over by Justice Nuhu Adi on Friday ordered the Yola Electricity Distribution Company to pay the sum of N800,000 as damages for illegal disconnection of electricity to the plaintiff, Dr Atando Dauda Agbu of the Taraba State University, Jalingo.

In suit N0: TRSJ/111/2023 between the plaintiff, Dr Atando Dauda Agbu, vs. Yola Electricity Distribution Company, Business Manager, Jalingo II YEDC, and Mr Paul Isaiah YEDC, office of the MD/CEO, as defendants, the plaintiff sought the declaration of the court to the effect that the disconnection of his residence at N0. 488, TSU Quarters, Jauro Yinu, opposite Danbaba Suntal Airport, Jalingo, Taraba State, without prior notice was unlawful.

The plaintiff, in an affidavit, told the court that sometime in December 2021, he discovered an abnormal reading in his prepaid electricity metre, NO. 04231835127, and lodged a formal complaint in respect of the abnormal reading in the prepaid electricity metre at his residence and the malfunctioning of the prepaid metre, but the defendants did not do anything about it.

He further informed the court that on June 30, 2023, he applied for the supply of a new electricity metre at his residence and followed up on his application with reminders, but to no avail. Despite his efforts, the third defendant disconnected the electricity supply at his residence without prior statutory mandatory notice.

The plaintiff then sought the declaration of the court that the disconnection of the electricity light or supply by the defendants on the 7th day of August 2023 without notice, despite being up-to-date in the payment of bills or recharge of the prepaid metre, was unlawful.

Other reliefs sought by the plaintiff include an order of the Court directing the defendants jointly and severally to pay the sum of One Million, Seventy-Two Thousand, One Hundred and Sixty Naira (N1,072,160) only as expenses incurred as a result of the unlawful disconnection and the cost of ventilating the grievances before the Court, and the sum of Twenty Million Naira (N20,000,000.00) only as general damages in favour of the plaintiff.

Delivering judgement on the matter, Justice Nuhu Adi resolved all issues in the favour of the plaintiffs and granted their reliefs.

The court held that “the disconnection of the electricity light or supply by the defendants on 7/8/2023 to the premises of the plaintiff without notice to the plaintiff is unlawful.

“The sum of Six Hundred Thousand Naira (N600,000) damages is awarded against the defendants jointly and severally in favour of the plaintiff.

“The defendants shall immediately reconnect the plaintiff’s electricity supply or light and shall not disconnect the same without due process in accordance with existing laws and regulations applicable to the defendants’ business concerns.

“The cost of two hundred thousand naira (N200,000) is awarded against the defendants jointly and severally in favour of the plaintiff,” the court ruled.

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