Three persons, Adegoke Azeez (30); Tijani Rasaq, (54); and Goodnews Sunday, (26) have been arraigned before Ogba Magistrate Court on three count charge of attempt to commit felony by tampering with Ikeja Electric installations, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under section 411 and 168 of the Criminal Law, Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2015.
The three men were apprehended in the late hours of December 21, 2017 at Abiola Street, Oke-Ira, Ogba, Lagos, while reconnecting customers of Ikeja Electric who had been disconnected following outstanding bills owed the Disco.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bail in like sum of N50,000, two sureties with tax clearance and verifiable house addresses
In his reaction, Head Corporate Communications, Ikeja Electric, Felix Ofulue, said the company had resolved to confront fraudulent and unethical practices in its network.
Ofulue bemoaned the rising cases of vandalism in some communities, cautioning customers against engaging unauthorized technicians who reconnect owing customers, or tamper with IE’s meters and other installations. He pointed out that illegal activities on IE’s network could cause overload on transformers, increasing risk of damage to assets and even customer appliances.
Ofulue said: “It is a crime to tamper with electrical assets and it is also a dangerous activity that could lead to loss of life and property when unqualified technicians meddle with the connections just for some paltry financial gain.”
The Communications Chief called on members of the Community to report any case of vandalism and asset tampering to the nearest IE office or contact IE Customer Care number 01-4883900, 01-7000250, 07000225543 or send send an email to customercare@ikejaelectric.com.