The National Assembly is set to pass a law to jail illegal connection of electricity for three years.
Other offences that will attract jail term are stealing of electricity materials or meter.
They will also attract three years jail term.
This was contained in a position paper presented by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to the Senate Committee on Power on the proposed law.
The offence reads: “Any person who willfully and unlawfully cuts or separate, slits, severs, smelts, removes or take away any electric line/Materials or meter from any tower, pole, or from any other installation or place of installation or any other place or site where it may be rightfully and lawfully stored, deposited kept stocked, situated or located including during transportation whether or not the act is done for profit or gain or
“Stores, processes or otherwise keeps in his premises, custody, control any stolen electric line/material or meter equipment whether or act is committed for profit gain, or loads, carries away or moves from one place to another with or without the use of a motor vehicle or other means of conveyance, any stolen electric line/material or meter from a tower, pole, any other installation or any place or site where it may be rightfully or lawfully stored, deposited, kept, stocked, situated or located whether or not the act is done for profit or gain, is said yo have commuted an offence of theft of electric lines and materials shall be liable upon conviction with imprisonment of a period of not less than three years or fine not less than five million or both.
“Any person who willfully and unlawfully destroys, damages or removes any electricity distribution lines or anything connected therewith or
“Otherwise prevent or obstruct the distribution of electricity through distribution line, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable upon conviction with imprisonment for a period of not less than five years or to a fine of N5 million or both.”