UDS City Campus Accused of Holding NEDCo Staff Hostage Over Electricity Disconnection Disagreement

• Staff of NEDCo were allegedly held hostage by security and management of the City Campus of UDS over a power disconnection disagreement
• The NEDCo staff were held on the campus until soldiers were deployed to release them
• NEDCo has explained that it had no option but to disconnect the popular university because it owed GH¢447, 000

Management of the City Campus of the University of Development Studies in Tamale, the Northern Region capital, has been accused of locking up the staff of the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) and preventing them from leaving the campus.

The staff of the power distribution company were on an assignment on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, to disconnect power to the popular university for non-payment of accumulated power bills.

Samuel Kumi leader of the NEDCo task force told Adom News in a video sighted by YEN.com.gh that the university owed the state power company GH¢447, 000 in accumulated power bills.

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Kumi, who also is NEDCO'S Loss Control Supervisor said after he identified himself and his colleagues to the school's security, the gates to the entrance of the school were locked after the disconnection exercise.

“Upon the disconnection, the security and staff of the school locked the main gate of the campus and ordered them to reconnect the lights or they wouldn’t allow them out,” he told Adom News.

He said true to their words, there were prevented to go out of the premises because they also refused to reconnect the power.

He explained further that because the military has always accompanied NEDCo staff to carry out disconnection at the premises of bills defaulting companies, they came to rescue them after a call was placed to them by NEDCo management.

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Kumis said it was unfortunate that a government-owned university would lock up the staff of another state agency doing their job. He said the disconnection exercise was dangerous to NEDCo staff.

UDS is yet to respond to the allegation by the NEDCo staff.

Scores of soldiers escort ECG workers to install prepaid metres

In a separate story, YEN.com.gh reported a while ago that to forestall a possible attack on ECG workers tasked to install new meters in Yilo Krobo, a heavy contingent of military men was deployed.

MCE for the area Eric Tettey said experiences in past have informed the decision to deploy at least 50 soldiers to the area.

ECG wanted to change all post-paid meters in the Eastern Region town to prepaid to cut back on high electricity debts.

Source: YEN.com.gh