- AEDC vows to combat vandalism
- Culprits of electricity theft face punishment according to the law
Concerned by the increasing number of vandalism, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has committed to prosecuting individuals responsible to the full extent of the law, regardless of their social level.
The company’s newest move came after the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) arrested one of its employees, Bamidele Rasaq, in Kogi State. Rasaq was prosecuted and sentenced to one year in prison for his role in damaging AEDC installations before a Chief Magistrate Court.
In response to the ruling, AEDC Chief Marketing Officer, Mr Donald Etim, said the business has zero tolerance for vandalism of its network assets, regardless of “whether perpetrators of such crimes are AEDC workers or members of the general public.”
Mr Etim, who disclosed that disciplinary measures against the staff would take their “full course which in this case is outright dismissal and loss of all employee benefits,” added that “vandalism of electricity network infrastructure is a serious offence punishable with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment under Section 1(9) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act LFN 2004”.
He also revealed that Abdulsalamad Abubakar, who was discovered vandalizing an AEDC substation in Paida junction in Minna, was sentenced to a year in prison by an upper Sharia Court in Minna, Niger State.