N10m Suit Against EEDC: Court Gives Plaintiffs 14 Days To Serve Motion On Notice On Defendants

By Chuks Eke—

The Federal High Court No. 2 sitting in Awka, Anambra state capital, presided over by Justice M. B. Usman has ordered Okpoko community electricity consumers in Ogbaru Local Government area of the state to serve a motion on notice on Enugu Electricity Distribution Company,  EEDC officials within 14-days to enable them appear in court on March 26, this year to defend themselves in a N10 million suit brought against them by the electricity consumers.

The consumers had dragged EEDC to court seeking the court order mandating EEDC to reconnect their disconnected electricity lines, as directed by the National Electricity Regulatory  Commission, NERC, as well as payment of N10  million as general damages for wrongful disconnection of their electricity lines.

The plaintiffs are Hon. Dominic Ezebuenyi, Mr. Remigius Muoka, Chief Alphonsus Ufomba, and Mr. Exe Fear God (for themselves and residents of Onyebarachi, G-Muoka, Starlight Agulu, Nneogidi streets, and some parts of Obodoukwu road, covering 96 customers of Akpirikpo 3 transformer feeder, Atani water works 11kv), while the defendants are EEDC, Engr. Onyebueke Nwokoroafor ( business manager, Ogbaru), Mr. Emeka (feeder manager), Kingsley Chidebelu (marketer), Uchendu Ifeoma, Okonkwo C.S., Omenyi C.U., Amadi Jude, Okafor Obianuju, Agu Eucharia, and Madu Elizabeth, among other EEDC staff in the area.

In the Suit. No. FHC/AWK/CS/11/2026, the plaintiffs, through their legal counsel, E.G. Ogbatalu Esq., are praying the court to mandate the defendants to pay them N10 million jointly and severally as general and exemplary damages for breach of duty and losses in financial, health, and safety, free security, and general quality of life by the plaintiffs.

They also prayed the court to direct the defendants to comply with the directives contained in the ruling of the National Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, with respect to reconnecting the plaintiffs, as well as an order directing them to forthwith reconnect the plaintiffs’ electricity supply at Okpoko pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

The plaintiffs are also seeking an interim injunction restraining the defendants jointly and severally, from tampering or further disconnecting the electricity supply to the premises of 96 customers of EEDC at Okpoko represented by the plaintiffs, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit, as well as an order of court directing the defendants to comply with all court orders concerning the reconnection of Electricity to the plaintiffs’ premises at Okpoko upon being served with the court’s order.

The first plaintiff, Chief Hon. Dominic Ezebuenyi, stated in his affidavit that they had repeatedly protested the outrageous and unreasonable estimated handbills beyond the energy they consumed, including, but not limited to, damages and the theft of their various 16mm recline cables in the guise of disconnection, which the defendants intentionally ignored.

He also stated that the defendants fraudulently overbilled the plaintiffs from 2020 to date and have blatantly refused to adjust the bill of the plaintiffs as contained in the  NERC ruling of 2025.