An aggrieved customer has sued Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) before the Lokoja High Court, demanding N50 million in general damages over wrong billing.

The claimant, Ugochukwu Orakwue, a resident of Kogi, in an originating summons filed before Justice Nicodemus Auwalu of High Court II, alleged that the AEDC deliberately refused to read his post-paid meter for billing him for outrageous estimated bills.

Mr Orakwue prayed the court to issue an order restraining the defendant from further issuing him electricity bills based on estimation but based on the actual reading of his post-paid meter.

He prayed the court to declare that the defendant’s act of issuing him electricity bills based on estimation instead of based on the actual meter reading of his post-paid electricity mater contravenes the NERC’s regulations and, therefore, is illegal, null and void.

He sought a declaration that all the electricity bills issued to the claimant by the AEDC based on estimation starting from the bill of October 19, 2015, being exercised or action founded on illegality is null, void and of no legal effect or consequence.

“A declaration that AEDC’s action of concealing the information of the claimant’s status as a metered customer by the wilful refusal to insert his meter number in his electricity bills contravenes the NERC’s regulation and therefore illegal, null and void.

“A declaration that the defendant’s act of disconnecting the claimant’s electricity supply for nonpayment in less than ten (10) days of the bill date, without issuing a disconnection notice to the claimant’s even when the complaint filed by him against the bills remains unresolved and contravened the NERC’s regulations and therefore illegal, null and void.

“A declaration that the claimant is entitled to be refunded the sum of N25,000 and N3,000 reconnection fee coercively collected from him by the defendant on July 28, 2023, before the reconnection of his electricity supply illegally or unlawfully disconnected by the defendant,” said the court document.

Mr Orakwue also prayed for an order compelling the defendant to refund N28,000, the amount coercively collected from him on July 28, 2023, before the reconnection of his electricity supply.

He prayed for paying N30 million to him as exemplary/punitive damages for the defendant’s punishable conduct.

The claimant also prayed for the sum of N20 million being general damages ‘for the wrongs the ‘defendant caused the claimant.

When the case came up for hearing on Tuesday, the AEDC counsel, G.D. Dubai, told the court that the defendant was discussing with the claimant to settle out of court.

“My Lord, we have commenced discussion with the claimant, and most of the issues raised have been forwarded to the management at the headquarters in Abuja for approval. We shall be asking for a date to report back to your Lordship the outcome of our out-of-court settlement,” Mr Dubai pleaded.

Mr Orakwue, who has no counsel representing him, did not oppose the application but confirmed it as the true position of things.

Justice Auwalu then adjourned the case to February 22 for a settlement report and continuation of the hearing. 

(NAN)