From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The Managing Director, BEDC Electricity PLC, Funke Osibodu, yesterday, said that the company has lost N750 million in one month following what she called illegal taking over of operation of the company. 
She said this while addressing journalists on her alleged arrest by the police over the leadership tussle of the company.
Recall that on July 8, Dr. Henry Ajagbawa, had taken over the management of BEDC as the new managing director of the company.
Osibudu said despite a Court order restraining Ajagbawa and his group from taking over the BEDC, they still brought the police from Abuja to obstruct the company’s operation and intimidate her.
“We resumed last week because we have a court injunction against them and during the period of the alleged forceful take over of BEDC, we  lost N750 million in collection in one month. The collection went down to zero and if you don’t have money, you can’t purchase power for distribution”, she said.
Speaking on her alleged arrest by police from Abuja, she said she was taken to the police headquarters in Benin for questioning and that when police discovered the law was on her side they couldn’t do anything.
“The police who claimed they came from Abuja said I have committed fraud, threat to life of Ajagawa (supposed MD), unlawful restrain and trespass. They took me to the police headquarters in Benin for questioning”.
She said after showing police the restraining court injunction of July 8, from Abuja Federal High Court against  Ajagbawa and his group, the police couldn’t do anything.
Osibudu said “till date I have not received any official document from the BPE or BEDC board mandating anybody to take over BEDC affairs from me but somebody just marched to the office and said, I have been asked to take over, this is not law.
“From the record, there is no official document, written to the board of BEDC that I have been removed, but what we see was in pages of newspaper that we have been removed and that is not how law works”.
She alleged that somebody is using his office to suppress the rule of law, adding because they didn’t succeed in the initial take over, they resorted to self help through any means.
“The case is that sometimes ago, there was supposedly take over of five DISCO announced by BPE, three of them was because Fidelity bank claimed that they are going to exercise their right over shares and BPE knows that Fidelity doesn’t have share over BEDC and our core investors never pledge BEDC shares”, she added.