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…Monarch fingers BEDC staff
From Tony Osauzo, Benin
The Traditional ruler and residents of Ugbegun in Esan Central Local Government Area of Edo have cried out over alleged vandalization of Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) cables, a development that has thrown the community into total darkness for over six weeks.
The community also fingered a staff of BEDC caught vandalizing armored cables who was handed over to the police for prosecution but was later said to have been released in a suspicious circumstance which further worsened the situation.
The community alleged that the patriotic action of leaders and vigilantes in apprehending the said BEDC staff and handing him over to the police was behind the reasons why the BEDC officials had remained adamant in restoring back electricity to the community.
The community said the plan to cover up the crime perpetrated by the said officials has crippled business activities in the community and called on the BEDC management and other relevant authority to come to their aid.
Speaking on the development, the traditional ruler of Ugbegun, His Royal Highness, Samuel Obade (JP) and the Itohan of Ugbegun, Chief Mathew Emiohe, lamented the suffering of the community due to non-availability of electricity occasioned by the cable theft.
“We have been mandated to defend our facilities in our domain and that we have always done. Sometimes in August we increased our vigilance arising from what we are hearing from neighbouring clans and we caught someone in Ikiogbe substation but he ran away. We caught the second person vandalizing armored cable at the sub-station and was handed over to the police.
“This last one that happened was the Engineer in charge of Igueben sub-station. The vigilante saw him red-handed. A day before, they saw him take a ladder from someone’s house, climb the high tension and loosen the cable with the pretence that he was clearing grass around the transformer.
“We have a force station in Ugbegun with over five staff and if he has no ulterior motive he should have ask the staff to come and clear grass around the sub-station. The vigilante saw the Engineer on motor bike with another person behind him holding the armored cable. We called in the police but they were neither here nor there”, the traditional ruler said.
Corroborating the position of the traditional ruler, Chief Emiohe called for the immediate restoration of power and said residents have been thrown into total darkness since the theft, adding that they have been victimized for crying out.
In her eaction, the Public Relations Officer of Benin Electricity Distribution Company, Evelyn Gbewen, denied knowledge of the incidence saying they are yet be briefed on the matter.
