ABUJA, Nigeria – A consumer rights advocate has called on the Inspector-General of Police to set up special anti-electricity crime units to stop alleged extortion of consumers.

‎Princewill Okorie, Executive Director of the Electricity Consumer Protection Advocacy Center, made the call Friday at a press briefing in Abuja.

‎Okorie said the units should be established at Force Headquarters and in states that now operate their own electricity markets.

He said the units would investigate cases of illegal disconnection, unauthorized collection of money, and consumer exploitation. He said they would work like anti-kidnapping units and improve coordination between regulators and police.

His call follows a dispute in Ohohia Mbieri community in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State involving Transpower Electricity Distribution Limited, a subsidiary of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company.

‎Okorie alleged that staff of the company disconnected about 15 households and collected money through POS machines without meters to measure usage. He said residents were asked to pay between 18,000 and 22,000 naira, later reduced to 14,600 naira after protests.

‎He said about 10 residents paid before the matter was reported to the divisional police officer.

‎Okorie said he petitioned Governor Hope Uzodimma on June 29 over the matter, and the governor directed the Commissioner of Police to investigate. He said the police later set up a five-member panel led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Linus Nwiu.

‎He said the Imo State Electricity Regulatory Commission had issued a directive on March 5, 2025, ordering compliance in the Ohohia case, but it was not enforced.

‎He said the company allegedly disconnected the entire community five days after the order, leaving residents without power from March 2025 to January 2026.

‎Okorie said the case shows the need for stronger enforcement of regulatory orders. He warned that failure to enforce decisions could encourage disregard for consumer protection rules.

‎He also cited similar complaints from other states, including a claim that three rural communities in Edo State were asked to pay 1.056 billion naira, and that some communities in Akwa Ibom State suffered long outages.

Okorie said he had faced threats since taking up the case. He cited an incident on September 28 at his home when two staff of the company came with seven armed men at 6:30 a.m. to take him away without a warrant.

He said community members stopped them. He said another confrontation happened on October 2 at the premises of the state regulatory commission where men blocked the gate.

‎He also said he learned of a court suit filed on October 8 at a High Court in Ihitte-Uboma/Ikeduru judicial area in which he is listed as a respondent, but he had not been served as of October 16.

Okorie appealed to Governor Uzodimma and the police to ensure the investigation continues without intimidation and to protect electricity consumers.