Two masquerades led a large crowd of youths in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, in a protest against what they described as an outrageous hike in electricity tariffs and the sudden reclassification of the community’s electricity supply from Band C to Band A.
The protesters, armed with placards and chanting war songs, gathered at Bareke Roundabout before moving through major streets of the town.
Placards bore messages such as “Omu-Aran Says No to Band A,” “Bring Us Back to Band C,” and “Omu-Aran Youths Have Spoken Loudly,” reflecting the community’s strong rejection of the new billing category.
The demonstrators said the abrupt shift to Band A had resulted in a sharp spike in electricity bills for March 2025, with some residents reportedly charged between N41,000 and N47,000, compared to previous bills of N10,000 to N15,000.
The youths expressed frustration that the change occurred despite unresolved challenges affecting electricity supply across various parts of the community.
They alleged that several areas continued to suffer from erratic power and that some transformers remained faulty or completely inoperative.
The group refused police escort and the presence of security agencies during the protest, which they insisted was peaceful.
The demonstration extended to several key locations, including Olomu Market, Latinwo Market, the Olomu palace, and the district office of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) located in the Omu-Aran City Complex.
Protesters also blocked major roads connecting the town to other states, including the Omu-Aran-Kabba and Omu-Aran-Otun-Ekiti highways, leaving many motorists and travellers stranded for hours.
In a statement signed by the President of the Omu-Aran Development Association, Niyi Adeyeye, the protesters outlined several demands, including an immediate return to the previous Band C billing classification, the suspension of Band A tariffs, and a review of the recent charges to reflect the community’s actual power consumption.
The demands also included the replacement of faulty transformers, cessation of consumer-funded repairs of electricity infrastructure, and an independent review of IBEDC’s service delivery in the area.
The Olomu of Omu-Aran, Oba Abdulraheem Adeoti, addressed the protesters at his palace, urging them to remain calm.
He assured them that community leaders were in active discussions with IBEDC to resolve the matter and called on the youth to allow dialogue to take its course.
