Magistrate Mrs. A.S. Okubule has sentenced two individuals, Raymond Anthony Okoye and Olamilekan Adeleke, for vandalizing a 2500 kVA transformer, belonging to the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC).
Babatunde Lasaki, EKEDC General Manager, Corporate Communications, made this known in a statement obtained by Advisors Reports on Monday.
According to him, Okoye received an 18-month prison sentence with hard labour on three charges, while Adeleke was sentenced to one year of imprisonment with hard labour on the same charges, to run concurrently.
He said, “Okoye and Adeleke were charged with three counts of conspiracy, stealing and vandalism before the Kirikiri Magistrate Court and pleaded guilty to the charges.
“Both men were caught by the community members in the act of vandalizing a 2500 kVA transformer and were subsequently detained at the Agboju Police Station before their arraignment,” the EKEDC’s spokesman said.
Dr. Akinrolabu Olukayode, Chairman of the Customer Consultative Forum for EKEDC Festac/Satellite Town, in his remark described the development as a significant breakthrough in combating vandalism and cable theft in Satellite Town.
He mentioned that the recent arraignment of two criminals marked a major success for the community and EKEDC.
Dr. Akinrolabu mentioned that perennial power outages in Satellite Town are primarily due to three factors: vandalization, low power allocation, and overloaded feeders.
He emphasised that Satellite Town, Lagos, is one of the fastest-growing communities within EKEDC’s network.
“The transition from NEPA to PHCN and eventually to EKEDP has been complicated, leading to numerous challenges due to poor record-keeping,” he explained.
He added that while some installations have been relocated for infrastructural upgrades, periodic theft by vandals remains a critical issue.
He said, “These criminals target installations during power outages, causing significant damage.
“Over recent months, there have been frequent attacks on key feeders such as Chevron, Ijegun, and Alakija,” he stated.
Dr. Akinrolabu further noted that most thefts involve the mutilation of armored cables, which are either exhumed or cut from standing poles.
“On June 18, 2024, security operatives apprehended two suspects attempting to mutilate an armored cable. They had already damaged one cable when they were caught.
“The suspects confessed to selling stolen cables to a suspected patron who is still under investigation.” Dr. Akinrolabu said.
He also mentioned that in April 2024, the Chevron feeder was vandalized, resulting in the theft of cables worth over 3 million naira, and another recent attempt on the same feeder was narrowly thwarted.
