The National Assembly has been enjoined to invoke its powers of oversight functions and organise a public hearing in Lagos to save thousands of residents from extortion by electricity distribution companies (DisCos) through the prepaid metering system.

In a press statement issued in Lagos yesterday by Africa Anti-Slavery Coalition (AASLAC) and signed by its Convener, Comrade Tony Masha, the group regretted that the prepaid metering system, which was intended to bring succour to electricity consumers by ensuring that they pay for what they consume, has become a source of intolerable extortion by DisCos.

“The current practice in parts of Lagos metropolis is for DisCos to lure unsuspecting consumers to fill forms for prepaid meters and once that has been done, bills will begin to accumulate whether the prepaid meters was installed or not.

“Thus, consumers are trapped through this fraudulent method, into accumulating debts running into hundreds of thousands of naira for prepaid meters that were never installed let alone connected to the residences of those concerned. This is very unfortunate and must stop,” the group emphasised.

According to AASLAC, in one instance under Ikeja Electric in Gbagada area of Lagos, the prepaid meters of all the flats in a compound were yanked off when the residents had gone out to their various places of works and businesses and on inquiry, they were told to pay more than N367,000 for prepaid meter that was applied for to power the borehole about two years ago but was never installed despite the fact that all reports by the landlord to Ikeja Electric to stop raising bills on the meter were treated with contempt.