News
DisCo Must Repay Customers for Transformer Purchases, FCCPC Rules
Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has ordered the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company to refund whatever consumers invest in buying transformers, poles, cables, and other items.
The Chief Executive Officer/Executive Vice-Chairman of FCCPC, Tunji Bello, gave this directive at the FCCPC Electricity Consumer Forum in Ota, Ogun State.
Bello, who was represented by an official of the commission, Mrs Bridget Etim, said it is not the duty of consumers to buy transformers, cables, or electric poles, saying such investments must be refunded by the Disco whenever they are made.
At the forum held in Ilogbo, Oju-Ore area of the Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun, community leaders under various Community Development Committees and Associations, alleged that the IBEDC had failed to respond to their complaints despite a series of letters written to its officials.
The Ado-Odo/Ota Zonal CDC Chairman, Mr Olatunji Onaolapo, decried what he called the nonchalant attitude of IBEDC officials in the local government.
According to him, consumers now buy everything that should be provided by the Disco, yet many communities remain in darkness.
“In Itele Ota alone, our people have bought up to 80 transformers. IBEDC did not buy a single one. We will even pay for energisation, we will beg them to come and install a transformer that they are supposed to buy. It is uncalled for,” Onaolapo alleged.
Responding, the IBEDC boss in Ogun State, Abdulrasaq Jimoh, blamed the communities for buying the transformers without carrying the DisCo along.
Jimoh said the communities ought to inform the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission of their intention to procure transformers and other items needed for electricity supply in their areas before going ahead to procure them.
However, the FCCPC official, Etim, interrupted the IBEDC’s Jimoh, saying, “I disagree.”
Etim told the Ibadan DisCo to learn from Jo’s Disco, which recently refunded its consumers even without NERC or FCCPC involvement.
“We are not going to accept that as a commission. For the ones that had happened before, we were not aware. We told the IBEDC before that for subsequent investments in network areas, returns must be given to the investors (the consumers). The previous ones were not properly documented with us, but subsequent ones must be refunded.
“I am correcting this because the Disco is saying you have to write NERC. If you tell the Disco that you want to invest, the Disco has the responsibility to escalate it to the regulator, that this is what the community is doing.
“In fact, let me tell IBEDC that Jos DisCo has had to compensate a community that invested in their network without informing NERC or FCCPC. I want IBEDC to change and learn,” Etim said.
Going forward, she urged Nigerians to always inform FCCPC of their plans to invest in the DisCos network going forward to ensure getting refunds through energy credit.
While presenting the EVC’s opening speech, the FCCPC boss stated that the three-day forum was convened under Sections 17, 127, 130, and 151 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018.
She said the forum was designed to bridge the gaps between consumers and service providers in the electricity industry.
“Electricity is not merely a commodity. It is a vital service that powers livelihoods, businesses, and progress. However, the industry continues to grapple with persistent issues such as insufficient metering, billing inaccuracies, and infrastructure challenges, all of which require urgent and collaborative resolution.
“This event presents a non-adversarial forum for dialogue. Consumers will gain clarity on their rights and responsibilities, while Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company’s caseworkers will be available to address grievances on the spot. This aligns with our core mandate to ensure that consumer protection is practical, accessible, and responsive.
“At the heart of the FCCPC’s interventions is the recognition that electricity consumers are entitled to fairness, transparency, and accountability. We are guided by our commitment under the FCCPA to inform and educate consumers about their rights; facilitate complaint resolution and redress; encourage fair trade practices among service providers, and promote collaborative engagement that ultimately improves service delivery across the sector,” she said, quoting the executive vice chairman.
At the forum, officials of the IBEDC were on the ground to immediately attend to consumers’ complaints and get them resolved on the spot.
Senator David Umahi, the Minister of Works, has announced that a section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will be tolled starting in December.
Umahi disclosed this during an interview for a forthcoming State House documentary marking the second anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He said: “By December, we will toll Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway. We project a 10-year return on investment.
“The road has solar-powered lighting and CCTV infrastructure, and offers carbon credit advantages.
“It is more than a road; it is an economic corridor and a catalyst for regional growth.”
According to the minister, 30 kilometres of Section 1 have already been completed, with an additional 10 kilometres in Section 2 nearing delivery. Both segments feature six-lane concrete-paved carriageways, designed to meet modern standards for safety and durability.
Umahi further revealed that construction had commenced on Sections 3 and 3B of the highway, spanning a total of 65 kilometres, covering 38 kilometres in Cross River State and 27 kilometres in Akwa Ibom.
He described the positive response from local communities as a clear indication of the project’s wide-reaching socioeconomic benefits.
“Just days ago, we flagged off Sections 3 and 3B—65 kilometres in total, covering 38 kilometres in Cross River State and 27 kilometres in Akwa Ibom. The host communities’ excitement speaks to these projects’ transformative impact,” he said.
Umahi also highlighted the administration’s renewed focus on the Sokoto-Badagry superhighway, which he noted was part of a broader vision dating back to colonial-era trade plans.
“The Trans-Saharan trade route dates back to colonial-era planning. President Tinubu is now bringing these long-abandoned visions to life,” the minister explained.
Kaspersky Security Services experts have identified a sophisticated cyberattack campaign targeting containerized environments to deploy a miner for the Dero cryptocurrency.
The attackers abuse exposed Docker APIs — parts of Docker, an open-source container development platform. In 2025, there are a significant number of Docker API default ports that are insecurely published, accounting for almost 500 occurrences worldwide on average each month.
In the discovered campaign, cybercriminals inject two types of malwares into the compromised systems: one is the miner itself and the other is a propagation malware that can spread the campaign to other insecure container networks.
Kaspersky experts discovered this malicious campaign as part of a compromise assessment project. According to expert estimates, any organisation that operates containerized infrastructure — while exposing Docker APIs without robust security controls — can be a potential target. These may include technology companies, software development firms, hosting providers, cloud service providers and more enterprises.
According to Shodan, in 2025, there are 485 published Docker API default ports¹ worldwide each month on average. This figure illustrates the campaign’s potential attack surface by tallying the “entry points” — or insecurely exposed ports that attackers might target.
Once attackers identify an insecurely published Docker API, they either compromise existing containers or create new malicious ones based on a legitimate standard Ubuntu image. They then inject two malware types into the compromised containers: “nginx” and “cloud”.
The latter is a Dero cryptocurrency miner, while “nginx” is a malicious software that maintains persistence, ensures execution of the miner and scans for other exposed environments. This malware allows attackers to operate without traditional Command-and-Control (C2) servers; instead, each infected container independently scans the Internet and can spread the miner to new targets.
“The campaign has the potential for exponential growth of infections, with each compromised container acting as a new source of attack, if security measures are not immediately put in place in the potentially targeted networks,” explains Amged Wageh, an incident response and a compromise assessment expert at Kaspersky Security Services.
“Сontainers are foundational to software development, deployment, and scalability. Their widespread use across cloud-native environments, DevOps, and microservices architectures makes them an attractive target for cyber attackers. This growing reliance demands organisations adopt a 360-degree approach to security — combining robust security solutions with proactive threat hunting and regular compromise assessments”.
The attackers embedded the names “nginx” and “cloud” directly in the binary — an inflexible executable file composed of instructions and data for the processor, not for humans. This is a classic masquerading tactic that lets the payload pose as a legitimate tool, trying to deceive both analysts and automated defenses.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday, charged five defendants before a Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly hacking into the server of Premium Trust Bank.
The defendants are listed as the bank’s e-payment service manager, Matthew Adeniyi; Kehinde Odeyemi, a nursing mother; Samson Latshin, Bolaji Omotosho and Sunday Okunnola.
They were charged before Justice Alexander Owoeye, on a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, cybercrime and unlawful access to the bank’s database.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Mrs. Zeenat Atiku, prosecutor, alleged that they committed the offence between April and May this year, in collaboration with three others, now at large.
Those still at large are Isa Ismaila, Victor Joshua, also known as ‘Oracle’ as well as one other, simply identified as Humble.
According to the charge, the first defendant unlawfully disclosed sensitive credentials, including the bank’s server IP and domain details, to these parties.
She said this enabled an unauthorised access to the bank’s database and the consequent data breach allegedly resulted in financial gains of $10,000.
The prosecutor also alleged that the defendants attempted to intercept the bank’s network and procured a Hewlett-Packard ProBook 440 G9 laptop (serial No. SN#5CD2473N6G) configured to bypass the bank’s security systems.
The anti-graft agency said the alleged offences contravened the provisions of sections 12(1)(b), 27, 28(1)(b)(c) and 28(3) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024).
Following their pleas, the prosecutor, requested for a trial date and sought an order to remand the defendants in custody.
Meanwhile, the court declined an oral bail by the defence counsel and directed that a formal bail application be filed.
He adjourned the case until June 30, for trial and ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Nigerian correctional centre, pending bail.
The court, however, added that the defence may apply for an earlier trial date, upon filing their bail applications.
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