Posted by Tajudeen Suleiman, Enugu on
A middle-aged man suspected to be a member of a gang that had vandalised electricity cables in Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi states, has reportedly been electrocuted.
A middle-aged man suspected to be a member of a gang that had vandalised electricity cables in Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi states, has reportedly been electrocuted.
Nemesis caught up with him, while attempting to steal transmission cables at Ogbunike, Anambra State.
The suspect met his end when he climbed a tower of the 132 KV Onitsha - Oji River transmission line of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, behind Ogbunike Boys High School, in an attempt to steal the cables.
The deceased and members of his gang were said to have bridged the overhead cables with a rope, causing the power system to trip off, thereby giving them free access to cut the cables.
According to the Regional Public Affairs Officer of PHCN, Enugu region, Mrs, Mary Philip-Udom, some students of Ogbunike Boys High School reported to the company's lines patrol team last Thursday that a lifeless body of a man was found in the vicinity of the high tension tower within the school premises.
On getting to the scene, she said, the Manager of Onitsha Work Centre, Mr. Tony Uwah, and his men discovered that a vandal was electrocuted while attempting to tamper with Tower 39 behind the school.
'Apparently, the cable thief was electrocuted when the tripped line was re-closed. Onitsha - Oji River 132 KV transmission line supplies power from Onitsha to Awka, Ekwulobia, Oko, Oji River and its environs. Power supply to these areas has been disrupted as a result of this dastardly and unpatriotic act," she said.
Philip-Udom recalled that the affected transmission line had been vandalised thrice in two weeks.
She said the vandals struck behind the Government House, Awka, and vandalised the power line from Towers 91 to 93 on September 25, only to return to the same line six days later, October 1, at Ugwuoba, Enugu State, where Towers 161 to 163 were vandalised. These incidents she added, were promptly reported to the police.
Meanwhile, the Work Centre Manager, Mr. Uwah, has described the frequent vandalisation of the company's facilities in the South East as not only worrisome, but also embarrassing and appealed to all users of electricity keep watch over power installations within their area to forestall future vandalism.END
The PUNCH, Wednesday, October 12, 2005