Two charged to court for alleged energy theft in Ikorodu
…Ikeja Electric laments vandalisation of assets
CITIZENS COMPASS– Two persons have been charged to court for alleged energy theft in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State just as Ikeja Electric Plc lamented the spate of asset vandalism.
Kingsley Okotie, Head of Corporate Communications at Ikeja Electric Plc, at a recent stakeholders’ meeting in the State.
He said that the rise in vandalism of the company’s assets especially in Epe community and its environs was not only alarming but more worrisome is the fact that law-abiding citizens and legitimate customers are being deprived access to reliable power supply with its attendant impact on the socio-economic activities of businesses and livelihoods.
The corporate communicator restated the company’s commitment to effective and efficient service delivery in the New Year 2025 amidst concerns about the rate of vandalism of its installations across the state in the year 2024 which resulted in service disruptions to some of its esteemed customers.
At the meeting, Okotie referred to an incident at Ikorodu, precisely on Saturday, September 14, 2024, where the company’s Arial Bundle Cable (ABC) which is an integral part of the newly introduced Intelligence Data Box (IDB) technology solution for pre-paid meters was vandalized. According to him, the cable was cut and the insulation of the ABC got damaged, while a new service wire was illegally connected to steal electricity into an apartment in Jubilee Estate, Odogunyan, Ikorodu, Lagos State.
Following a thorough investigation, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) arrested and later arraigned Akintola Monsurat Olayinka & Obigbo Moses (the Defendants) at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos on 11th December 2024 and were charged on a two-count charge of conspiracy to commit an offence by unlawfully tampering with, damaging and meddling with an Ariel Bundle Cable, property of Ikeja Electric Plc by cutting it in order to steal energy and unlawfully tampering, damaging and meddling with Ariel Bundle Cable contrary to Section 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and punishable under Section 1 (10) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Laws of the Federal Republic of 2025.
