Residents of Toluwani community along Shepherd Road, Ado Ekiti, were thrown into fresh hardship after discovering that their newly installed electricity transformer had been vandalised, with critical cables removed by unknown persons.
The incident, which occurred overnight, sparked widespread anger as residents trooped into the streets early Monday, blocking the major access road and temporarily halting vehicular movement in protest.
During the demonstration, Chairman of the Landlord Association, Mr. Adeyinka Egbeyemi, lamented the community’s prolonged blackout, noting that residents had endured 15 years without power supply.
According to him, “the transformer that was vandalized was bought through donations from residents of the community.”
Another resident, Mr. Fakiyesi Gbenga, described the loss as devastating, stressing the sacrifices made by the community to restore electricity.
He said, “over twenty million naira was contributed to procure the transformer that was vandalized,” and appealed to the state government to urgently intervene.
The residents expressed disappointment that their hope for restored power was short-lived, barely weeks after the transformer was installed.
Chairman of Ado Central LCDA, Mr. Toyin Ojo, who visited the scene, sympathised with the community and assured them of the government’s commitment to restoring their power supply.
He also urged the protesters to “remove all planks used to block the road in the interest of peace,” promising expedited action to replace the stolen transformer.