Residents of Akyem Pankese in the Birim North District of the Eastern Region have clashed with Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) staff over electricity bills.
Chaos broke out on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, when the staff of ECG went to the town to disconnect some customers from the national grid over unpaid bills.
The attempt was, however, met with hostility from the residents, who accused the electricity supplier of issuing outrageously high bills.
According to Eric Boafo, the Unit Committee Chairman for Akyem Pankese, the issue escalated when the staff members attempted to remove fuses from the community’s transformer to disconnect the entire area.
The move was vehemently resisted by the residents, resulting in clashes between the two groups.
Some of the ECG staff were reportedly assaulted and manhandled by the angry residents.
After hours of a tense standoff and threats, the ECG staff had no option but to restore the fuse to the transformer.
“ECG workers came to the community to remove the fuse in the transformer because they said someone had done something against them. They have switched off the light since morning and have come to remove the fuse, so we decided to resist them,” one of the youths justified their aggression.
“The bills they are presenting to us here are outrageous. Some are paying as high as Ghc8,800. You switch the power off haphazardly, and then you come here to remove our fuse. What wrong have we done?” another lamented.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the community have reported the incident to the police.
The District Engineer of ECG has yet to comment on the issue.