An Oredo Magistrates’ Court in Edo State has sentenced Abubakar Dauda to two years in a correctional centre for vandalising a 200KVA transformer belonging to BEDC Electricity Plc in Benin City.
Dauda was convicted after he pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.
He was arraigned before the court after being arrested and handed over to the New Etete Police Station for vandalising the Amusement Park 200KVA transformer in Benin City.
The prosecutor told the court that the activities of Dauda and his accomplices had plunged more than 700 households in the affected area into prolonged darkness and hardship.
The presiding Chief Magistrate, C.E. Oghuma, found Dauda guilty and sentenced him to two years in the correctional centre on the two counts.
Reacting to the judgement, BEDC Head of Branding and Corporate Communications, Mrs Evelyn Gbiwen, described the conviction as a step forward in the fight against vandalism of electricity infrastructure.
Gbiwen said the judgement would serve as a deterrent to individuals and groups involved in the destruction and theft of electricity infrastructure.
She noted that the vandalism of transformers, cables and other electricity facilities not only causes financial losses to BEDC but also deprives customers of essential electricity services.
She urged residents to protect electricity infrastructure in their communities and promptly report suspicious activities around transformers, cables and other power facilities to the appropriate authorities.
She also advised residents against patronising individuals who deal in stolen electricity equipment, warning that such activities could worsen power supply challenges and increase the hardship faced by electricity consumers.