No fewer than 10 people have been convicted by the various courts in Bauchi, Gombe and Plateau states for vandalising distribution transformers belonging to the Jos Electricity Distribution Plc just as one was severely burnt which led to amputation of his right hand.
Some of those convicted for the offences were Mohammed Danarewa, Mohammed Jauro Sani and Babayo Ahmed who were handed two-years jail terms without option of fine on each of the two count charges of conspiracy and theft respectively by the Chief Magistrate Court, Pindiga, His Worship Adamu Abdullahi on Monday, July 5, July, 2021.
Babayo was, however, given an option of N20, 000 fines as a first offender following plea for leniency made by his counsel Yusuf Aliyu.
This was contained in a press statement by the Head Corporate Communications, Dr. Friday Adakole Elijah, who explained that the Judge also ordered them to pay to the coffers of Jos Electricity Distribution Plc the sum of N 480, 000 at the end of their jail term.
The duo were vandalising the distribution transformer as well as scooping the oil of the same transformer located at Maternity Sub-station, Pindiga Town, Kumo 33kv feeder of Gombe State on June 30, 2021, before they were apprehended by members of the community and security agents.
Similarly, two buyers of vandalised and stolen electricity items (Dahiru Imrana and Umar Musa) were convicted by the court in Bauchi.
They were sentenced to a four-year jail term each with an option of N 16, 000 fines.
The three suspects who were caught and whose confessions led to the arrest and prosecution of the buyers-Mustapha Bashir, Ali Ibrahim and Suleiman Ahmed were all remanded in prison custody to be tried at a date to be fixed by the court.
Also, a 29-year-old suspected vandal whose identity was simply given as Okonkwo Chibuike was severely burnt while attempting to vandalise distribution sub-station situated at Diye-Zarmaganda in Jos, Plateau State.
Chibuike, who was said to be a final year undergraduate of one of the state government-owned universities in the country got his right hand amputated in one of the public hospitals in Jos due to the severity of the burnt.
He is still at the hospital receiving treatment under the watchful eyes of security agents.
The Managing Director of Jos Electricity Distribution Plc, Hashim Ibrahim Bakori commended the various members of the communities as well as security agents for the arrest which culminated in the convictions of the criminals.
Bakori, who also commended the Hea of Security of the company, Musa Abdullahi for syncretising effectively with the various security apparatus called on members of various communities in the company’s area of operations to watch over the company’s installations in their localities.
He said, all the effort of the company aimed at providing quality services for the people would come to naught if there were no deliberate reciprocation from members of the public in safeguarding electrical distribution infrastructure in their domain.