Masquerades Lead Protest in Kwara Over Outrageous Electricity Bills

Tensions flared in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, as two masquerades led a massive protest on Friday against what residents described as outrageous electricity bills following the community’s unexpected transition from Band C to Band A.

The protest, which began at the Bareke Roundabout, drew scores of youths who took to the streets carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Omu-Aran Says No to Band A,” “Revert Omu-Aran to Band C,” and “We Say No to Electricity Exploitation.” Chanting protest songs and dancing, the demonstrators marched through major parts of the town, including Olomu Market, Latinwo Market, Olomu Palace, and the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) office inside the Omu-Aran City Complex.

Residents alleged that the recent band upgrade resulted in electricity bills ranging between N41,000 and N47,000 for March 2025, compared to the previous N10,000 to N15,000 under Band C. They also decried poor power supply and unresolved issues like faulty transformers across the town.

Despite the presence of security personnel, the protesters refused police escort and went ahead to block major highways, including the Omu-Aran–Kabba and Omu-Aran–Otun-Ekiti roads, disrupting vehicular movement for several hours.

In a statement, President of the Omu-Aran Development Association, Niyi Adeyeye, outlined the community’s demands, which include:

• Reverting the town from Band A back to Band C
• Replacing faulty transformers in several areas
• Improving electricity supply before any tariff increase
• Halting Band A billing and overdraft charges on pre-paid meters
• Ceasing the practice of customers buying electricity infrastructure materials

The Olomu of Omu-Aran, Oba Abdulraheem Adeoti, received the protesters at his palace and urged them to remain calm. He assured the community that discussions were ongoing with IBEDC officials to address the grievances.

As of the time of filing this report, IBEDC is yet to issue an official statement on the matter.