Two people were jailed in the year 2017 for vandalising electricity equipment belonging to Eko Electricity Distribution Company.

The General Manager, Corporate Communications of the company, Mr. Godwin Idemudia who made the disclosure in a statement attributed the conviction on determination of the company to discourage energy theft and electricity equipment vandals.

According to Mr. Idemudia, while one Ismaila Mabodu, aged 32, was sentenced to a 6 month imprisonment in August 2017 for theft of 10 meters of armoured copper cable at a substation around Nigerian Railway premises Yaba by a Yaba Magistrate court, another vandal, by name Odigiri Simon bagged a jail term of five years and ten months in November having pleaded guilty to stealing 25 metres of core cables in the Lekki Area of Lagos.

Also the company’s Chief Legal Officer, Mrs. Wola Joseph said the conviction of the two people was a testimony to the seriousness with which the company has been pursuing its crusade against vandalism of electricity facilities and theft of energy within the company’s area of operations.

She added that there were more similar cases still pending in various courts and further expressed optimism that more convictions would still be secured in the new year.

This, she said, would serve as a deterrent to criminal-minded people who might be considering going into the illicit act of vandalism and theft of electricity equipment.

Mrs Joseph then sought the co-operation of members of the public for the company’s effort to stamp out vandalism and theft of its equipment throughout its operational areas.

As she put it, ‘the fight is not for Eko Disco alone. The fight is for all patriotic Nigerians and lovers of development who will not want to allow few criminally minded lot in the society to destroy what is meant for all of us to enjoy’.