Two Jailed for Electric Cable Theft

Two men, Omena Sunday and Bashir Sheu, have been jailed for vandalising and stealing electrical transformer cables at Five Star Bus Stop, Lagos, and Otun Olori Akute, Ogun State.

Sunday (24) was arraigned before a Lagos Magistrate’s Court at Ogba on January 11, while Sheu (28) was arraigned at Ifo Magistrate Court 2, Ogun State, last September 27.

Omena, who was convicted on three of the four charges preferred against him, was sentenced to a year in prison.

Similarly, Bashir was found guilty on two counts of conspiracy and stealing of cables belonging to Ikeja Electric, and sentenced to one year in prison.

Acting Head (Corporate Communications) of Ikeja Electric, Kingsley Okotie, lamented the spate of vandalism of electricity installations. He noted that vandalism affects not just the distribution company, but also the customers- residential or commercial- who are usually plunged into darkeness until such stolen assets were replaced.

He urged stakeholders to partner to curb the trend, and encouraged Community Development Associations (CDAs) to make use of their vigilantes and other security agencies to further secure  electrical installations and equipments in their neighborhood.

Okotie also warned criminally minded individuals  to desist from nefarious acts such as energy theft, illegal connections, safety breaches, staff harassment, among others, to avoid  hindering the company’s smooth operations for excellent service delivery.