A high court in Afikpo, Ebonyi State, has sentenced four men to seven years imprisonment for vandalising the property of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC).
EEDC is the power distribution company in charge of electricity supply in South-east Nigeria.
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The convicts were tried on a three-count charge of conspiracy, vandalism, and stealing. They are Ikechukwu Esseh, Ikedinachi Uche, Ukpai Godwin, and Uchenna Kalu.
They were arrested on 28 November 2023 for attacking a 7.5MVA injection substation belonging to the EEDC.
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The substation is at Education Board Road, Afikpo, in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Judgement
Delivering judgement, the judge, Nicholas Nwode, found the defendants guilty on all the charges against them, according to a court document obtained by PREMIUM TIMES.
The judgement was delivered on 23 July, the document showed.
Mr Nwode said his decision followed a careful review of all evidence presented before him and consideration of the “high incidence of vandalism and stealing of electrical installations in Afikpo.”
The judge subsequently sentenced the defendants to five years imprisonment on count one, seven years imprisonment on count two, and five years imprisonment on count three.
The sentences will run concurrently without the option of a fine, the judge ruled.
EEDC reacts
The spokesperson of the EEDC, Emeka Ezeh, said the EEDC management has commended the judiciary for the judgement and appealed for a speedy trial of other pending matters.
“We hope that this will serve as a deterrent to others out there, who may engage in such criminal acts,” Mr Ezeh said in a statement on Wednesday.
The spokesperson said the electricity company appreciated the efforts of the youth leader in Afikpo and the community’s Task Force Team for mobilising for the arrest of the vandals, now convicts.
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He said the effort of the youths was a clear indication of community support and collaboration in the protection of the electricity infrastructure in the community.
Mr Ezeh appealed to customers to support efforts aimed at safeguarding installations in their neighbourhood.
He decried the activities of vandals, which he said have negatively impacted the company’s operations and the quality of service to its customers.
“As a result, we continue to commit scarce resources to restore vandalised equipment – funds that would ordinarily be channelled to other areas of our operations that will benefit our customers,” Mr Ezeh stated.
The EEDC spokesperson urged customers to remain vigilant and protect electricity installations in their neighbourhood from vandalism.
He pointed out that vandalisation of installations inevitably lead to service failure and inconvenience.
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