By Chijioke Kingsley
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – The Chief Security Officer of Jos Electricity Distribution Company, Mallam Musa Abdullahi, has said about 11 electricity vandals have been arrested in some parts of Gombe, Bauchi and Plateau States.
The arrest was as a result of a diplomatic shuttle between the Managing Director, Engr Abdu Bello Mohammed and the Chief Security Officer of the company who virtually visited all the security Chiefs and traditional rulers in the company’s franchise States with the view to halting the menace of the electricity criminals, a statement sent to our correspondent by the Head, Corporate Communications, Dr. Friday Adakole Elijah said.
According to the statement: “Four of the suspects were apprehended on the 13th of January 2022, at filiya village under Shongo LGA of Gombe State.
“The suspects were identified as Abdulwahab Adamu aged 20 years, Ahmad Murtala aged 18 years, Abdullahi Hudu aged 19 years and Aliyu Munkaila aged 20 years.
“The suspects were all residents of Filya village of Shongo LGA and were arrested by the vigilante team after vandalism and theft of transformer armoured cables and feeder pillars.
“The suspects were detained by the police at the Pero Change division, Shongo LGA and later transferred to police headquarters in Gombe for more investigation and prosecution.
“Upon interrogation, the suspects narrated that they usually sell the stolen cables to one Abba, an origin of Kano State who engages in Bola Jari business at Billiri LGA” the statement said.
Elijah continued: “In the same vein, the suspects – Ya’u Abdullahi and Mustapha Mohammed were nabbed in the act while vandalising a transformer on the 7th of February 2023.
“The suspects were arrested along Itas after vandalising the transformer and carting away feeder pillars and armoured cables of the capita distribution Transformer, 33kv Jamaare lines.
“Similarly, on the 14th of February 2023 in the evening, a team of policemen attached to the Gona police division arrested four suspected vandals identified as Umar Suleiman, Mohammed Ajiya, Ibrahim Magaji and Maikudi Abubakar, all residents of Chilon Waziri village under Akko LGA Gombe state.
“The suspected vandals were apprehended after vandalising the 200 kva Distribution Transformer located at Chilon Waziri village of Akko LGA and detained at Gona police division Gombe.
“The suspects succeeded in Carting away the transformer coils and lamination core of the distribution transformer before luck ran out of them.
“The transformer coils and lamination core were however recovered at one of the suspect’s houses.
“One of the suspects in the course of carrying out this dastard act sustained an injury on his legs in the process of conveying the stolen items. This was what brought their activities to the notice of the village Head who promptly reported the incident to the police which led to their arrest.
“All the cases will be charged to court by security agencies after a comprehensive investigation”, he said.
Reacting to the development, the Managing Director of Jos Electricity Distribution Plc, Engr Abdu Bello Mohammed thanked the security agencies, Vigilante and the traditional rulers for taking ownership of electricity installations in their domain.
Mohammed who said that the activities of vandals are negatively impinging on the operations of the company said more measures have been put in place to halt the menace.
According to him, “we can not continue like this. We must do everything within our power to stop vandals on our network.
“I want to thank you for what you have done. I want to also thank my Chief Security Officer for a job well done “, he said.
