As part of measures to make indebted electricity consumers in Ilorin metropolis pay their bills, the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) has embarked on midnight disconnection of debtors' lines in the area.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that staff of the PHCN in the Kwara State capital stormed Sabo Oke/Ilupeju community in the Ilorin East Local Government Area last Thursday to disconnect indebted customers at about 12 midnight over N109 million unpaid electricity bills.

It was gathered that PHCN staff used bamboo trees to disconnect their customers' lines in eight of the nine transformers that served the area.

It was also gathered that PHCN staff resorted to midnight operation when a crowd of women, numbering 100, during the day, prevented staff of the electricity company from usual carting away of power distribution cables as usually the practice in the process of disconnecting their lines, just as the PHCN staff hurriedly left the area.

Spokespersons of the people, Pastor Moses Awoyale and Adio Samsudeen, in a letter to the state director of the State Security Service (SSS), a copy of which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune, accused PHCN of giving them outrageous bills, adding that all efforts to convene a meeting between the community leaders and the PHCN top management staff on the issue had proved futile.

"We wish to inform you that PHCN staff have put our domain, comprising Lajoorin/Kabba streets, Muritala, Maraba, Alalubosa, Sokoto Road, Fufu street and Owode close, in total darkness since last Thursday. They came in as if they were going to war to disconnect our supply, but our people, mostly women, disallowed them. We should have right to protest when we are being cheated," the statement said.

Also speaking, Business Manager of PHCN, Challenge district, Mr Adetunji Fatai, described allegations against the PHCN staff as "blatant lies," saying the people of the area owed up to N27.9 million between February and July 2013, adding that they did not like to pay for electricity consumption.

Adetunji, who said the area was formerly under Babooko district, added that their previous indebted bills were written off when they were brought under Challenge district following complaints of irregular power supply, adding that they must pay for consumed electricity supply.