Two masquerades led Omu-Aran crowds in the Irepodun local government area of Kwara State to protest the outrageous hikes in the electricity tariffs they described and suddenly reclassified the community’s power supply from C to band.
The protesters were equipped with placards and chanted war songs, gathered at the Bareke roundabout and then walked through the town’s main street.
The messages conveyed by the placards, such as “Omu-Aran vs. A Band,” “Bring Us Back to Band C” and “Omu-Aran Young People Voice”, reflect the community’s strong rejection of the new billing category. The sudden shift to band A led to a sharp surge in electricity bills in March 2025, with some residents reportedly charging between N41,000 and 47,000 n47,000, compared with previous N10,000 to N15,000 bills.
Young people are frustrated by the change, although unresolved challenges have affected electricity supply across the community. They claim that several areas continue to suffer from unstable forces and that some transformers are still defective or do not work at all. The group rejected police escorts and the presence of security agencies during the protests, which they insisted were peaceful.
The demonstration expanded to several key locations, including the Olomu Market, the Latino Market, the Olomu Palace and the regional office of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) located in Omu-Aran City Complex. Protesters also blocked the main roads connecting towns with other states, including the Omu-Aran-Kabba and the Omu-Aran-Otun-Ekiti expressways, leaving many stranded motorists and travelers stranded for hours.
Protesters outlined several requirements in a statement signed by Omu-Aran Development Association President Niyi Adeyeye, including an immediate return to the former C bill classification, a moratorium on A BARM A TAIRFS tariffs and recent review of allegations reflecting actual power consumption in the community. These requirements also include replacement of faulty transformers, cessation of consumer-sponsored power infrastructure repairs, and independent review of services provided by IBEDC in the area.
Olomu Oba Abdulraheem Adeoti of Omu-Aran addressed protesters in his palace, urging them to remain calm. He assured them that community leaders were having active discussions with the IBEC to resolve the matter and called on young people to allow dialogue to conduct courses.
