Staff of the Volta River Authority and Northern Electricity Distribution Company (VRA/NEDCo) have withdrawn all services in the Tamale Metropolis and its environs.
The decision follows an alleged assault on some staff and the seizure of official company vehicles by irate youth on Wednesday (July 30, 2025) evening.
A resolution jointly signed by the Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of NEDCo, William K. Asare, and the Chairman of the VRA Divisional Union, Fuseini Adjei, at an emergency meeting on Thursday, stated that staff driving official VRA/NEDCo vehicles were forcibly removed from their cars and physically attacked by the youth.
The resolution cited persistent hostility and a lack of security protection as key reasons for the strike action.
The leadership of the staff emphasised that this was not an isolated incident, referencing similar attacks in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019 in which staff were assaulted or company property vandalised while carrying out lawful duties.
Incident
The incident, which occurred on the evening of July 30, 2025, saw at least three NEDCo vehicles forcibly taken and parked at the Gulkpe Naa’s Palace in Tamale.
Graphic Online gathered that the staff were returning from official duties when they were assaulted with clubs and sticks before their vehicles were seized. The victims narrowly escaped death.
This latest incident, however, appears to be linked to simmering tensions between the company’s leadership and traditional authorities in Dagbon.
Sources indicate that the seizure of the vehicles was in protest against alleged gross disrespect and insubordination by the Acting Managing Director of NEDCo, Ing. John Okine Yamoah, towards the Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Abukari II.
According to the youth, the company had previously agreed to halt an internal transfer exercise at the request of the Ya-Na, which was aimed at defusing tensions within the organisation.
However, they claim Ing. Yamoah defied the Overlord’s directive and proceeded with the transfers, which affected several staff members, including the Human Resource Manager.
The situation escalated when the youth alleged that Ing. Yamoah deliberately snubbed a scheduled meeting with Naa Yab Gulkpe-Naa, a meeting said to have been initiated by the Overlord.
Staff demands
In their resolution, the staff demanded the immediate identification and prosecution of those involved in the assault, a full explanation for the attack on innocent staff performing lawful duties, and assurances of safety and protection from both management and the security agencies.
Additionally, they called for the immediate retrieval of the seized vehicles from the palace.
The staff stated that while they would continue to report to their offices, all field operations would remain suspended until their concerns are addressed and their safety guaranteed.
“Our lives are under threat, and we no longer feel safe going out to work. This action is necessary to protect ourselves,” the resolution stressed.
