Journalist laments threat to his life after FirstPower invited him over report on extortion 

Anambra State correspondent of Leadership Newspaper, Mr Okechukwu Obeta has raised the alarm, stating that his life was under threat.

The journalist said he had written a report in his newspaper on how residents of Amaudo village in Awka were extorted over N1million to fix a damaged transformers, just to facilitate restoration of power, but the management of FirstPower insisted it fixed the transformer with its fund and not from money levied on residents of the area.

The journalist said FirstPower went ahead to throw the village in darkness because of the report, causing the indigenes of the area to start threatening his life.

A full account of the story as narrated by the journalist is below…

Burden of being a Journalist: FirstPower Incites Leadership Of My Amudo Village Awka Against Me.

“Since after FirstPower’s meeting with her customers and other stakeholders yesterday, 18th March, 2026, at King David Hotel, Awka, I have been put under pressure.

Chairman of the Amudo village, Chief Patrick Afam Nwanna told me today, Thursday, 19th March, 2026, that the village had been put into darkness because of what I wrote against FirstPower.

He said they were at the FirstPower office shortly before he called me. And that after meeting with some of the officials they rescheduled to come back later at 3pm.

Shortly before my conversation with him I had received a call from a female voice who said she was calling from FirstPower office, Awka. She was later introduced as the FirstPower CCO when I went to the office to honour the 3pm appointment she gave to me.

On arrival, the leaders of Amudo village headed by the chairman also came.

The FirstPower MD introduced the reason for the meeting. He said that it was to confirm my report at the customers meeting at the King David Hotel to know from the village leadership if it is true according to my report that his management demanded any money from the village to rescucitate the vandalized Ifite Road transformer.

The MD said that after I made the report that he instructed his men to trip off power supply in Amudo so as to compel the village leadership to come. He said that his management spent about N4million to replace the armoured cable and that it was a big scandal against the company if the public and top FirstPower management hear that the villagers paid for the resuscitation of the transformer.

Chairman of Amudo village denied that FirstPower did not demand money from the village to resuscitate the vandalized transformer.

He, however, confirmed that they collected levies from villagers in respect of the transformer repair. He said what they spent was about N600,000. And that it was to install CCTV camera, and, that they used part of the money to buy drinks for the FirstPower technicians who fixed the transformer. But another member of the village leadership said that the amount they spent was about N750,000.
That they purchased bolts for the fixing of the transformer.

The MD now insisted that I should retract my story and apologize to the company otherwise the company will employ every lawful means to compel me to do so.
At that point the Amudo village leaders requested the FirstPower management to give them few minutes to have a private meeting with me.

The Amudo village leaders invited me out of the conference hall. They blame me for writing the report. They said that I should have confirmed from them before writing the report since it concerned the village.
They complained that because of my report FirstPower has put the village in darkness.

I reminded them that as a journalist I didn’t need to take permission from them or anybody before writing my story.
They warned me that they will not tolerate me using their village to practice journalism.

They lamented that I have created strained relationship between their village and FirstPower pointing out that because of my report electricity supply has been cut off in the village.

They stated that I should know that I am just a tenant in their village and that I can relocate anytime but that as natives they are the ones that will suffer if FirstPower perpetually refuses to supply electricity to their village if they have strained relationship with the company officials.

When we returned to the conference hall, the MD requested for the outcome of our meeting. One of the village leaders stood up, and, was telling the FirstPower management that they were in support of the demand that I retract my report.
Sensing that I may be coerced to accept to retract my report and tender apology, I sneaked out of the meeting.”

He told his colleagues that he is afraid that he may be harmed as a result of incitement of the villagers by the management of FirstPower.

He promptly reporter to security operatives to take note, insisting that he stands by his story, as he has evidence that money was contributed by the villagers, and that it was meant for the repairs of the vandalized transformer.