The neighborhood watch group in Aba, Abia State, has thwarted an attempt to vandalize power infrastructure and arrested a 20-year-old suspect, Uchenna Iroha.
Iroha, from Ohuhu community in Umuahia, was caught trying to steal a 500kva distribution transformer on Ngwa Road, near the Old Court.
According to Mr. Ken Agu, Chief Security Officer of Geometric Power, the eagle-eyed security men had been monitoring Iroha, who is suspected of involvement in previous vandalism incidents.
“The Divisional Police Office of the Nigeria Police Force at Ndiegoro in Aba is thorough and we expect its men to do a good job,” Agu said in a statement on Friday by Aba Power Brand and Communications Manager, Edise Ekong.
According to the statement, efforts are underway to determine if Iroha acted alone or in collaboration with other vandals.
The Aba Power communication manager commended the host community where the 500kva transformer is located for guarding it well after two previous acts of vandalization in recent months.
Edise remarked that each theft left the community, businesses, and households in darkness for days until the facility was repaired at a huge sum.
“It is terrible to mess up the businesses and lives of people here by a handful of miscreants who sell the transformer copper wires and other electrical accessories to unconscionable electrical parts dealers and metal scavengers as scraps,” observed Agu.
“We are delighted that as the power supply to Aba and the environs improves drastically and Aba Power earns the confidence of the people more and more, the people will continue to play their role as stakeholders in the electricity value chain and protect all the infrastructure in their areas with more commitment,” he said.
This incident highlights the ongoing challenges in protecting critical infrastructure in Abia State.
