A suspected vandal involved in the recent vandalism of a transformer owned by the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) has been discovered dead in Eket, Akwa Ibom.
On Saturday, the Regional Manager of PHEDC, Mr. Anthony Etim, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Eket. He stated that the incident occurred at the transformer located on Party House Road in the Ikot Ibiok area.
This unfortunate event took place on Wednesday, March 19, around 3 a.m. at Ikot Ibiok village in Eket.
According to Etim, the lifeless body of the suspect was found next to the transformer, and local residents gathered in the area identified the deceased as a resident of the Mkpok area in Eket.
The police later removed the body, highlighting that the ongoing activities of vandals have left many PHEDC customers without electricity.
Etim noted that vandalism is a daily occurrence and is widespread; unfortunately, this incident marks a critical point for one such vandal.
“We have been urging the communities to remain vigilant regarding their electricity facilities and have stressed the importance of safeguarding installations across the entire PHEDC franchise,” he stated.
“What transpired on Wednesday? It appears that it was a member of the community who was involved.
“Vandals are indeed present, and they are not far away; I am grateful that PHEDC officials have been vindicated in this matter.
“He is not an employee of ours and has no connections to our staff regarding this incident,” Etim remarked.
Nevertheless, he could not provide an exact count of the cases of vandalized transformers in Eket but mentioned that there are numerous instances of vandalism in the area.
Etim urged customers and community leaders to keep a close watch over their electricity installations and take all necessary measures to protect them against vandalism.
