A High Court in Afikpo, Ebonyi State, has sentenced four individuals to seven years’ imprisonment for vandalising an electricity facility belonging to the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC).
Justice Nicholas Nwode, who presided over the case, found the defendants; Ikechukwu Esseh, Ikedinachi Uche, Ukpai Godwin, and Uchenna Kalu, guilty on a three-count charge of conspiracy, vandalism, and stealing.
According to Mr. Emeka Ezeh, Group Head, Corporate Communications at EEDC, the convicts were apprehended on November 28, 2023, after they attacked the 7.5MVA Injection Substation located along Education Board Road in Afikpo North LGA.
“The presiding Judge, after carefully reviewing all evidence presented before him and considering the high incidence of vandalism and stealing of electrical installations in Afikpo, sentenced the accused to five years imprisonment on count one, seven years imprisonment on count two, and five years’ imprisonment on count three, to run concurrently without option of fine,” Ezeh explained.
The EEDC applauded the court’s decision and expressed hope that the ruling would discourage further vandalism of power infrastructure.
“We commend the judiciary for the judgment, and hope that this will serve as a deterrent to others out there, who may engage in such criminal acts,” the company stated.
Ezeh also acknowledged the role played by the General Youth President and the Afikpo Task Force Team, who helped apprehend the vandals, describing it as a testament to effective community cooperation.
He called on customers across the company’s coverage area to remain vigilant and support efforts to protect power facilities.
“As a result of vandalism, we continue to commit scarce resources to restore vandalised equipment – funds that would ordinarily be channeled to other areas of our operations that will benefit our customers,” Ezeh lamented.
He warned that the consequences of such criminal acts include service disruptions, prolonged outages, and inconveniences for the general public.
“We urge all customers to be watchful and to report suspicious activities. Protecting these installations is essential to maintaining consistent power supply,” he concluded.
