By Stanley Nwanosike
The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has confirmed the electrocution of a barbing salon operator in Nsukka over alleged vandalism of electricity installation in the area.
The company identified the deceased as Tochukwu Onah (alias Toshiba), a barber and an indigene of Ede-Oballa Community (the same community where the transformer is located).
Relaying the development to newsmen in Enugu on Sunday, Mr Emeka Ezeh, the Head of Corporate Communications, EEDC, described the incident as very unfortunate, one which had cut the young man’s life short at its prime.
Ezeh said that the body of the suspect was found within the space of a distribution transformer belonging to the EEDC at the early hours of Saturday, at Ede-Oballa community, Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State.
He said that it was suspected that the unfortunate vandal was electrocuted while attempting to vandalise the distribution transformer which already had some of its cables severed.
Ezeh recalled the numerous cases of vandalism recorded by the company in 2022, which negatively impacted not just the quality of service to its customers, but also its revenue.
He, therefore, called on the public to also look inwards, as some of the perpetrators of these attacks might be residing within the neighborhood or community.
Ezeh recounted a similar experience sometime in November 2022, where perpetrator of transformer vandalism died in the same Ede-Oballa community.
According to him, vandalism has been a big challenge to the company, and there is no way it can deal with it all alone without the support of its stakeholders.
Ezeh appealed to customers to join hands with the company to fish out these few individuals, who live among us, and were making life miserable for the larger public.
He reiterated the company’s position on any of its employees found to be involved in such act.
The spokesman noted that such a person would not only be shown the way out, but would be prosecuted, as the company has zero tolerance for such criminal act.
Ezeh also affirmed that in all the arrests that had been made, none of the suspects had been identified as staff of the company, neither had any of the suspects apprehended nor claimed to be working or colluding with any employee of the company.
°EEDC condoles with the family of the deceased, and hope that this incident serves as deterrent to those engaging in this act of sabotage and wickedness of throwing entire neighbourhood or community into total darkness,” he added. (NAN)
