Mohammed Shosanya
Ogun State Command of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps,has secured the conviction of three accused at the Federal High Court, Abeokuta Division.
The defendants were arraigned before Hon. Justice A. Demi -Ajayi for the offence of unlawfully tampering , disconnecting and damaging Electrical installations belonging to Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company.
Chibueze Emmanuel and Michael Genesis were arrested in January 2022, while Ojuolape Olaitan was arrested in January 2024.
The Judge adjourned the two charges to today 8th May, 2024 for review of facts of the trio having earlier pleaded guilty to the offence.
The Judge sentenced each of the defendants to 6 years of imprisonment.
IBEDC is also in partnership with the Federal Government Special Investigation and Prosecution Task Force on Electricity Offences (SIPTEO) to curb energy theft within its franchise area.
Energy theft cases include various offenses such as meter bypass and illegal meter tampering, resulting in significant financial losses amounting to hundreds of millions of naira for the company.
Energy theft is now recognized as a criminal offense, carrying severe penalties including imprisonment,according to Electricity Act
The company said:”We want to send a clear message to our customers that energy theft will not be tolerated. Our collaboration with the Federal Government Special Investigation and Prosecution Task Force on electricity offences underscores our commitment to ensuring a fair and just electricity distribution system.
” Energy theft not only undermines the integrity of our operations but also deprives IBEDC of the revenue necessary to provide quality services to our customers.” We urge our customers to refrain from engaging in any form of energy theft, as the consequences can be severe”.
