Gbenro Adesina
An unidentified electricity cable thief was on Sunday November 21, 2021, electrocuted at Deboore Village in Kobape, Abeokuta, Ogun State, when he was trying to steal electricity cable on the high tension wire.
According to eye-witnesses, the incident happened at the early hour of today.
The eye witnesses reported that luck ran out of the thief, who they believe to be an Hausa man, who had succeeded in cutting some earth wire, when electricity was restored during his operation and he immediately got electrocuted.
Speaking at the scene of the incident, a Technical Supervisor of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Oladimeji Alatise, narrated that the Baale of the community called him this morning to inform him of the incident.
He said, “It was Baale of the community that called me to inform me of what has happened. After our discussion on phone, I took my bath and prayed and came down to see things for myself. He said that the cable were recently installed”.
Also, the Baale of Deboore, Alhaji Olowomo, a community near the incident scene, said that stealing of electricity cable from both high and low tension wire is very frequent in the area.
His words, “Many of those who are stealing our electricity wire are Hausa people. We have been arresting them. The sad aspect is that when we arrest them and hand them over to the police, within a few days, they will be released. We are begging the government of Ogun State that whenever this people are caught, they should jailed them”.
Another eye-witness noted that it was sad that some people will be stealing the cable that cost the residents to buy and install so that they can have electricity.
He said, “We are the one contributing money to buy electricity cable. We will buy electricity poles and pay the electricity technicians to fix it. IBEDC don’t do anything than to collect money. Four days ago, there was a particular one that wanted to steal the community electricity cable. We wanted to arrest him but he ran away”.
Staff of IBEDC lowered the body of the thief, which the police, who also arrived at the scene, has taken away.
