Auchi, Edo – Irked by the continued extortion by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), customers across communities in Edo North senatorial district has decried the activities of Auchi Regional head, Kelechi Rufus.

The communities in a letter addressed to the managing director of the Benin Disco, stated that, the Auchi regional office is causing them pains with continuous disconnections, with payments made before any reconnection work is carried out.

They accused the BEDC head in Auchi of mandating the field workers to remit returns from electricity disconnections carried out in their area of operations.

"We wish to bring to the attention of the BEDC of the activities of Mr Kelechi Rufus of the Auchi regional office that ranges from extortion of customers across many villages/communities in Etsako West, East, Central and Akoko Edo LGA of Edo state, this extortion is a grand design by the Auchi Regional head and instructed upon the workers in the region to be Remitting returns from every disconnection exercises carried out with the Edo North senatorial district.", The letter signed by Comrade Haruna Braimoh partly read

Braimoh, in the letter posted Tuesday on his X account called for urgent intervention by the management of the Benin Disco, to further prevent the people from resorting to self-help.

"A stitch in time they say "Saves Nine", he said in the post

However, the BEDC head of branding and cooperate communications, Evelyn Gbiwen maintained that the company was unaware of the complaints from the Auchi region as it would have acted appropriately.

According to Gbiwen, customers should always channel their complaints through writing to the company's head office, and desist from making any form of cash payment to BEDC officials.

"What you are saying now, I'm hearing it for the first time because I'm not in Auchi; and until somebody tells me before I will know", Gbiwen told BENDEL Mirror in telephone conversation on Tuesday evening