“This fridge has become empty,” said Ajayi Tawakalt, a mother of four who runs a frozen foods shop in the Odogbonle area of Lagos. Tawakalt is one of several residents enduring more than three months of blackout, with her once-thriving business now on the verge of collapse.

She took out a loan to launch the business, but has begun packing up her appliances due to the ongoing losses. Since the electricity outage began on March 21, 2025, caused by a fault in the community’s transformer, her solar inverter hasn’t been able to power her larger equipment.

“I have stopped this business. Some days, I had to throw away spoiled fish. This power supply issue has really destroyed my business,” she told TheCable.

“Even the availability of water is a problem. We usually use a generator to pump water, and the water will not even last for long before it finishes because our neighbours usually fetch from it.”

Tawakalt is not alone. Other residents and business owners in Odogbonle, located in Eredo Local Council Development Area of Epe, Lagos, have been without electricity for over 120 days due to the broken transformer.

After the transformer failed, community leaders reached out to the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company’s Epe office. In April, IKEDC sent a team with a crane to remove the transformer for repair, but residents, fearing a repeat of a past incident, resisted.

In December 2023, IKEDC removed a different faulty transformer from the same community and failed to return it despite multiple follow-ups. The current transformer was donated by Eredo LCDA chairman Monsuru Akinloye and installed on April 4, 2024, following a previous four-month blackout.

Community chairman Onabajo Oriyomi said when residents alerted him that IKEDC personnel had returned with a truck to take the transformer, he contacted the Epe office manager, Victor Uche Amaraegbu, who said he was not willing to discuss the transformer taken in 2023.

Residents then blocked the removal of the current transformer, beginning a prolonged standoff with IKEDC.

Oriyomi said he later tried to meet with Victor for dialogue, but the manager declined to schedule a time. Attempts to meet him in person at the Epe office were unsuccessful.

According to Oriyomi, the resistance from Victor stems from the community’s demand for accountability over the 2023 transformer and their refusal to allow removal of the current one.

In the meantime, businesses and students in the area have been badly affected. Students from the Lagos State University of Education in Epe travel long distances to charge phones, study, and get water.

Olatunbosun Aminat, a 200-level accounting education student, said most students are planning to relocate once school resumes because the lack of electricity is unbearable.

Toyosi Akinlade, a laundry business owner, now spends around ₦90,000 weekly on diesel to power his generator. Meeting customer demands has become nearly impossible due to delays and rainy weather.

Fashion designer Adetunji Motunrayo has had to revert to manual machines, abandoning electric ones. The community’s only hospital, a private facility, now relies on solar and a generator, which often fail to meet medical equipment needs. Medical officer Wahab Suleimon said they sometimes refer patients elsewhere due to power issues.

Community leaders said they sent letters to IKEDC offices in Ikorodu and Epe, and to the Lagos State House of Assembly, demanding repairs to the faulty transformer and the return of the previous one. Frustrated, they also contacted IKEDC headquarters by email.

Despite the lack of power since March 21, many residents without prepaid meters still received bills for March and April. The community wrote to IKEDC requesting suspension of billing until electricity is restored.

Responding to TheCable, Amaraegbu denied avoiding community leaders and said he manages three offices, which might cause delays in availability. He said meetings can happen if scheduled properly.

When asked about the 2023 transformer, Amaraegbu denied telling the community to forget about it and said he would check the IKEDC store for it. He plans to provide an update when he meets the leaders and discuss the next steps.

Credit: The Cable

At least 14 villagers and a mobile police officer lost their lives on Thursday in two separate attacks by gunmen in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.

One of the incidents occurred around 4:00 pm while the victims, mostly residents of the Chirang community, were returning from Bokkos market to Mangor village.

The Chairman of Community Peace Observers in Bokkos, Kefas Mallai, confirmed the attack to The PUNCH in Jos on Thursday night.

Mallai said, “Yes, it is true. There was an attack on our people about 4:00 pm this evening.

“Fourteen natives were ambushed and killed by suspected terrorists while three others were injured on their way from Bokkos Market to Mangor Village of Bokkos LG.”

He added that security forces had since taken control of the area to maintain peace and prevent further violence.

He also noted that the latest assault followed an earlier attack that same day where a mobile police officer was killed while on duty.

The officer was stationed at a checkpoint along Richa Road in the same Bokkos LGA before he was killed.

Mallai described the incidents as “very unfortunate.”

“Our hearts are bleeding because early this morning, on 24th July, 2025, a MOPOL was killed at his duty post (checkpoint) along Richa road, Bokkos LGA. This is what happened in Bokkos today,” he said.

The Chairman of Bokkos Local Government Area, Amalau Amalau, confirmed the attacks and described the situation as an “emergency.”

He said, “I’m driving. We have an emergency in Bokkos following attacks on our people.

“Right now, we are taking the victims to the Jos University Teaching Hospital. Let’s talk later, please,” the chairman told our correspondent.

Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command, Alabo Alfred, were unsuccessful as his phone was switched off.

However, sources at the command said additional security personnel had been deployed to the affected area to address the crisis.

In response to the killings, several residents voiced their concerns and urged the Federal Government to consider establishing state police.

“Many state governments have been pleading with the Federal Government to allow them to have state police.

“I think the time has come for the Federal Government and the National Assembly to do something urgent in this regard, to stop further loss of lives in Plateau State and other parts of the country,” said Choji Bulus, a resident of Barkin Ladi.

• Set to hold listening party on July 27 at Afrikan Shrine

Grammy-nominated Nigerian Afrobeat multi-instrumentalist Omorinmade Anikulapo Kuti, popularly known as Made Kuti, has announced the release of his highly anticipated second album, ‘Chapter 1: Where Does Happiness Come From?.’

The highly anticipated album contains 13 songs and is available worldwide.

The sophomore album features socially conscious songs like ‘Take It All In Before The Lights Go Out,’ ‘I Won’t Run Away,’ and ‘Life As We Know It.’ Other songs are ‘Find My Way,’ ‘Pray,’ ‘Won Na Pa,’ ‘Our Own,’ ‘Wait And See,’ ‘You Can’t Hide,’ ‘Oya,’ ‘My Voice,’ ‘Story,’ and ‘After The Tears Flow.’ Made has encouraged fans and music enthusiasts to stream the album on all music platforms, embrace its powerful messages, and prepare for the exclusive listening party happening on Sunday, July 27, 2025 at the iconic Afrikan Shrine.

Building on the success of his debut For(e)word—a modern Afrobeat manifesto tackling issues like corruption and inequality—Made continues to showcase his talent as a singer, songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist.

The album is coming three years after the release of his debut album, ‘For(e)word, a modern Afrobeat manifesto addressing issues like corruption, inequality, and police brutality. His debut album, which was released in a joint album, ‘Legacy+,’ alongside his father’s ‘Stop the Hate’ in 2022, earned him his first Grammy nomination for Best Global Music Album in 2022.

The upcoming event, FK Management noted, is not just about music – it’s a celebration of culture, creativity, and the next chapter in Made’s musical journey. Attendees are billed to experience an electrifying atmosphere filled with live performances, energetic dance, and a shared love for Afrobeat music.

It’s a rare opportunity for fans and music enthusiasts to connect directly with Made and immerse themselves in his new tracks within a vibrant, immersive setting.

As a proud third-generation Kuti, Made continues to push boundaries and elevate his craft, bringing the fire and passion that his legendary lineage is known for.

According to organizers FK Management, this promises to be a milestone moment for fans and music lovers alike—a night to remember.

Update HERE