Early on Sunday, an unnamed suspected cable thief in a vandalism incident was allegedly electrocuted in Anambra State.
According to information obtained by Gallant Military Info, the event took place while he was vandalizing the Umuezerimpi 500KVA Distribution Substation, which is owned by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC) and is situated in Umuatuegwu Okija, Anambra State.
The incident occurred barely a few days after four people were arrested for damaging EEDC facilities in various areas.
The EEDC’s Head of Corporate Communications, Mr. Emeka Ezeh, in Enugu, confirmed these events.
Mr Ezeh said the deceased was not working alone, adding that other members of the gang fled the scene as soon as he was electrocuted, leaving behind his lifeless body and their equipment.
Ezeh acknowledged that the Okija Police Division has received a formal report about this development for further investigation.
“The tools used by the electrocuted vandal and his fleeing colleagues were also recovered and his corpse deposited at the Okija General Hospital Mortuary,” he said.
“Just imagine how this young man has cut his life short over nothing.
“It is hoped that this will serve as a deterrent to others engaging in this dastardly act,” he added.
Meanwhile, just a few days ago, security guards at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, allegedly arrested a young man by the name of Wisdom Kalu Onu, an Abia State native, for vandalizing electrical infrastructure on the campus that belonged to the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC).
The suspect and the damaged property have been handed over to the Nsukka Urban Police Station for a thorough investigation and possible legal action.
Ezeh, who described the unpleasant experience the company had been going through in the hands of vandals, reaffirmed the organization’s intention to keep working with important stakeholders to ensure that those responsible for this heinous act are caught and held accountable.
He said that not a day went by when the company wasn’t notified of an attack on an electrical installation.
“It has gone so bad that the vandals now go as far as draining transformer oil, even after carting away with the armoured cables”, a situation he described as disheartening.
The company’s spokesman claims that in the last three weeks, vandals have attacked more than twenty transformers throughout the company’s network, with four of the vandals being caught.
“On Monday, at Ndibe, in Afikpo North Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, a suspect identified as Ogbonnia Otu, was apprehended by the President General of the community with the support of his team, in possession of 150mm2 upriser cable believed to have been carted from a distribution substation belonging to EEDC.
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“Similarly, on Sunday, a suspected vandal, Tochukwu Onumaegbulam was arrested by the Electricity Committee Task Force of Umuloola Community, Orlu, Imo State, for vandalizing the distribution substation serving the community.
“In Abatete, Anambra State, Ndubuisi Okuogba was arrested by members of Vigilante Group in Abatete, for vandalizing a 500KVA distribution substation serving the area. The suspect was apprehended while in possession of four intermediate armoured cables stolen from the substation, which he had burnt for the purpose of extracting the copper, before his arrest.
“The suspects were handed over to the respective Police Stations for proper investigation and possible prosecution,” he disclosed.
Ezeh applauded the efforts of the Security Personnel, Vigilante Groups, as well as the President General and his team, in apprehending the suspects while urging customers to take a more active role in securing these facilities that are providing services to them.
“There is a need for our customers to be more vigilant in ensuring that electricity installations sited within their neighborhoods are protected against attacks by these criminal elements in the society,” he added.
Ezeh emphasized that these vandals were taking advantage of the poor availability caused by the recent decline in the amount of power produced in the sector, which had a negative impact on the company’s daily energy allocation.
“We keep committing millions of Naira restoring vandalized installations and this is no longer sustainable, considering our current financial state,” he lamented.
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