By Amechi Obiakpu
Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC, has continued to solicit the support of its numerous customers in apprehending vandals of its power cables.
The company said that this move became necessary following the spate of destruction to its cables in recent which disrupts electricity supply.
According to a statement signed by Emeka Ezeh, Head, Communications, a group of vigilantes, in the early hours of Tuesday, August 23, 2016 apprehended a team of vandals after they vandalised three upriser armoured cables of a 500KVA, 11/0.415 Distribution Sub Station, property of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), at Rehab Road, Emene, Enugu State.
One Paul Ike, who escaped, and his accomplice, Mr. Chibuike Nwosu, a dealer of electrical equipment at shop 37 Adelabu Street, Kenyatta, Enugu, who is the buyer of the vandalised installations were apprehended by the vigilante group as they were attempting to abscond with the installations in a Nissan Bluebird salon car with registration number NSH-160 CW, belonging to Mr. Chibuike Nwosu.
This is comes after an earlier attack on the same Sub Station on Thursday, August 18, 2016, where the vandals made away with 1 armoured intermediate cable, while the 2-Phase and neutral cables were recovered.
The company stated that it was already making arrangements to replace the stolen intermediate cable after the incident was reported, so that electricity supply can be restored to its customers who were already being inconvenienced as a result of this ugly incident, when the vandals came back to complete their unfinished business. Luck, however ran out on them.
In a similar development, four vandals were recently caught in Umuahia, Abia State while vandalising Udi Street Distribution Sub Station belonging to EEDC. The group actually came to finish up their attack on the Sub Station which had also been vandalised earlier. It took the intervention of a private security man attached to a fast food eatery in Umuahia, who apprehended one of the vandals and raised an alarm, which attracted a team of Police officers on patrol that eventually assisted in arresting the remaining three.
This group, the statement said confessed to being responsible for other acts of vandalism that occurred in the District.
All the apprehended vandals were subsequently handed over to the Police for further investigation and prosecution, together with all the recovered armoured cables.
“It will be recalled that we have been soliciting the support and cooperation of our customers towards ensuring that our electrical installations within their vicinity are protected against vandals; and from these incidents, it is obvious that our customers have come to realise that they can’t sit and fold their hands while some few elements who do not mean well for them put them in an inconveniencing situation for a period of time”.
The cost implication of replacing these installations any time they are vandalized, according to the power distribution company runs into millions of Naira; and this seriously impact negatively on the efficiency of EEDC in meeting its commitment to her customers.
“The increasing rate of the act of economic sabotage calls for a concerted effort by members of the public and law enforcement agents.”
“So far, we have recorded no fewer than 78 cases of vandalism across the South East states, between January 2015 to date, and have also expended a substantial amount of money repairing and replacing vandalised equipment while achieving considerable success in prosecuting arrested vandals.”
”We wish to once again reiterate our continued commitment towards tackling this growing trend and call on well meaning and law abiding customers to join hands with us to fight this ugly menace,” the company said.
It however urged those who patronize the vandals to desist from the act, as they are aiding and encouraging the vandals.
