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Police Arrest Two Men For Allegedly Harassing EEDC Officials In Anambra State

Police Arrest Two Men For Allegedly Harassing EEDC Officials In Anambra State

A joint squad of the Nigerian Police and the community’s vigilance organization apprehended two middle-aged males named Chinedu Anama and Uche Okpara in Ozalla-Awada, Anambra State.

They were apprehended for allegedly assaulting some Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC) field officers while performing their authorized duty.

On Wednesday, August 25, 2021, officials were checking disconnected residents in Ozalla Awada, part of Ogidi, when they detected an unlawful connection at No. 13 Onyekwere Street, Ozalla Obosi, a house with 12 flats, all with prepaid meters.

Mr. Emeka Ezeh, the EEDC’s Head of Corporate Communications, validated the arrest and criticized the occurrence, noting that assaulting its staff is one of the issues the organization faces.

According to Ezeh, occupants in the residence manipulated their prepaid meters, which resulted in the house being disconnected by the EEDC inspection team a few months ago.

“Rather than attending the EEDC office to settle the matter, the inhabitants resorted to illegally reconnecting themselves and were enjoying electrical supply until the monitoring crew working in that area found the illegal connection and disconnected them accordingly,” he explained.

“The team had already left the building for a different place when several residents from a nearby building approached them and attacked four of them, leaving one of them, Ugochukwu Chukwunyerem, with severe head cuts. He has transported to the hospital for treatment right away.

“Three EEDC officials’ cellphones were lost, and one was damaged, during the process. The team’s vehicle was also damaged, with the carrier, door, and front bumper all being destroyed.”

“It’s perplexing that a customer would engage in meter bypass, illegal connection, or any other type of energy theft, then oppose disconnection (which is normally the first step in an investigation), and even inflict bodily harm on individuals performing their authorized functions.

“EEDC management disapproves of these acts and will not hesitate to ensure that the law is followed.

“We cherish our employees and are concerned about their safety, particularly when they are performing their legal obligations, and we are always prepared to protect them and prosecute anyone or any group who assaults them”.

Two EEDC officials were assaulted on August 2019 at Umunya, in the Ogidi District, while one of its officials was attacked by a customer in March this year at Umudike, in the Umuahia District, inflicting a serious machete cut on his hand.

He said, “Activities of energy thieves are negatively impacting the revenue of the company and this has a spiral effect on other aspects of its operations.

“It is a source of worry that some customers who have been metered would resort to meter bypass. This is a clear indication that they never had the intention of paying their energy bills.”

Ezeh stated that the perpetrators had been turned over to the police for continued investigation and possible prosecution, and maintained confidence that the EEDC’s management would see the case through and ensure they faced the full force of the law.

“There is no justification for the kind of assault meted on our staff by these suspects, and we hope that this will serve as a deterrent to others”, he stated.

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