25-year-old man sentenced to jail for vandalizing EEDC facility

A 25-year-old man, identified as Chidiebere Duru, was on Friday sentenced to three years imprisonment for unlawfully tampering with a 200KVA transformer, property of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), TOPNAIJA.NG can confirm.

The said EEDC property is located at Umuejim Nnenato, Dikenafai, Ideato South Local Government Area, Imo State.

Duru, an indigene of Umuafai Village, Dikenafai, Ideato South Local Government Area of the State was jailed by a Federal High Court, Owerri Judicial Division, presided over by Hon. Justice Allagoa.

His action was said to have ran foul of the provisions of Section 1 (9) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, L.F.N. 2004.

TOPNAIJA.NG reports that this is coming few days after a teenager and three others also bagged different prison sentences for vandalizing EEDC facilities.

Commenting on the court judgements, the EEDC head of communications, Mr. Emeka Ezeh thanked the judiciary for serving the vandals deserved justice.

He said, “The activities of these vandals who are few elements in our society, has been a great challenge to our operations and it is negatively impacting on the quality of service we provide to our customers.

“As a measure to curtail this activity, we have continuously engaged with critical stakeholders and our customers on the need to join hands with EEDC to protect these installations within their neighbourhood, provided to serve them.

“We are equally intensifying in our effort and collaboration with security agencies as well as various vigilante groups, in ensuring that these vandals are apprehended and prosecuted accordingly; and we are not relenting in this effort.

“Just last year, we committed millions of Naira replacing vandalised items within our network, this is telling on our finances, and it is not sustainable. These are monies that ordinarily would have been channeled to other activities that will enhance our service delivery to our customers.”

He added that “It is as a result of the growing trend that the Federal Government recently inaugurated the Special Investigation and Prosecution Taskforce on Electricity Offences (SIPTEO) for Enugu zone, comprising Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo State.

“The special taskforce was first inaugurated in 2017 in Abuja under the Electric Power Sector Reform Act, 2005 and other regulations, which empowers the taskforce to investigate, arrest and prosecute cases of theft, vandalism as well as recovery of lost revenue.

“It is, therefore, expected that the inauguration of SIPTEO, and its collaboration with EEDC will reduce the rate at which electricity installations are vandalised, and also bring about a better and more efficient service delivery to electricity customers in the South East.”