BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
In a bid to tackling and forestalling energy theft and vandalisation of infrastructure in the nation’s power sector, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Osun State Command has collaborated with Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company.
The state commandant of the civil defence, Sunday Agboola, while meeting with officials of Osun IBEDC region on Tuesday said energy theft and vandalism were partly responsible for losses and liquidity challenges that are bedeviling the power sector.
He said it was not going to be business as usual for vandals and their cohorts as the command was ready to put a stop to their crimes.
While welcoming the Executives of IBEDC to the State Headquarters in Osogbo, Agboola declared the command’s readiness to combat the cankerworm of energy theft and vandalism in the state and reiterated the importance of taking concerted efforts to achieve positive impact in the fight against vandals.
The commandant warned vandals in the state to desist from stealing electricity cables and vandalising power installations.
According to him, “hard times await those who willfully destroy the country’s national assets and infrastructure,” maintaining that the corps would go all out to fish vandals out of their hideouts in the state to face the consequences of their action.
In his remarks, the Osun Regional Head, of the distribution company, Adeniyi Adeleke, solicited the support of the corps in the fight against vandalism and energy theft in Osun Region.
Adeleke stated that IBEDC, which claims the largest geographical coverage among electricity distributors in the country requires the help of the corps to protect its electrical installations.
According to him, vandalism, energy theft and related vices are the major setbacks mitigating quality services delivery to customers.
However, Agboola admonished the indigenes of the state to remain vigilant and report cases of vandalism to the command or any of the offices of the corps nearest to them for prompt response.
A statement issued by the corps’ Public Relations Officer, Olabisi Atanda, revealed that Agboola maintained that anyone caught would be made to face the wrath of the law.
