Jos Electricity condemns attack on Makurdi office, accuses youth of abducting 10 staff

•Demands adherence to regulatory safety standards

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

The Management of Jos Electricity Distribution (JED) Plc has strongly condemned a violent invasion of its Benue State Headquarters in Makurdi and the subsequent assault and abduction of its personnel by an unidentified group claiming to act on behalf of the state government.

The power distribution company disclosed in a statement released Thursday that the incident occurred on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, when about 50 individuals forcefully entered the facility around 1:17 p.m.

According to JED management, the intruders confronted the state leadership over operational issues stemming from an illegal connection at the Government House, which involved a refurbished 2MVA 33/11kV transformer serving both the Benue State House of Assembly and the Government House premises.

During the siege, the assailants allegedly assaulted several employees, leaving multiple staff members injured.

The group also abducted 10 personnel, seized four company vehicles, and confiscated technical tools.

The abducted staff and properties were eventually released around 5:45 p.m. following the forced reconnection of the transformer.

JED further revealed that the assault follows a similar breach on September 3, 2026, when its field team was reportedly held hostage at the Government House after discovering a meter bypass.

The technicians were forced to reconnect the bypassed meter before being allowed to leave.

“The latest incident has been escalated to the relevant security agencies, and we will continue to cooperate with them in establishing the circumstances surrounding the incident to prevent a recurrence,” the statement read in part.

Reaffirming its commitment to safety and procedure, JED emphasized that all technical interventions, transformer energizations, and metering rectifications must strictly comply with industry regulatory guidelines.

While reaffirming its readiness to engage constructively with the Benue State Government, the electricity distributor maintained that disputes must be resolved through peaceful dialogue rather than self-help and intimidation.