A businessman identified as Dabarju Anarju who’s based in Maiduguri, has been arrested for illegally tapping power from an electricity installation.
It was gathered that the electricity installation was built to power streetlights for residents of the area.
Dabarju used the streetlights supply to run heavy duty equipment in his shop located at NUJ, New GRA where he sold cold drinks, ice blocks and other provisions.
He was also accused of illegally extending the space of his shop into an unauthorized territory, encroaching on a public road.
Following his arrest, his shop was later brought down by the Borno Geographic Information System on Tuesday, June 21. According to Engr. Adam B. Bababe, the executive secretary of BOGIS, the demolition followed failure of the man to comply with several notices he was served with, in compliance with the laws establishing the agency. He said the shop owner was reported by members of the community to NSCDC and BOGIS.
According to the executive secretary, prior to the demolition, the shop had been marked in January for demolition, for illegal expansion into the road. After investigation, it was however discovered that the extension was part of a ploy to take advantage of the streetlights power supply to run his private business which has been in operation for two years.
It could not be ascertained how long he had been into it, but he was also accused of bribing ‘some people’ to cover up the misconduct.
21 refrigerators were sighted in the shop. The streetlight operator in charge of the area became suspicious and asked how the fridges were being powered as there was no sound of a generator.
To confirm, the operator decided to shut down the generator supplying power to the streetlights, following which the shop also went into darkness. The NSCDC was thus informed and the man arrested. Reacting to the incident, Oshiogwe Momodu said: “Some people are way ahead in criminal thinking. How did he even think of this?”
