Nigerian electricity distribution companies (DisCos) have been advised to study the type of cooperation between Aba Power, Nigeria’s 12th and newest power distribution firm, and various communities in Abia State to learn how to protect their assets which are frequently vandalised across the country.
A security consultant, Air Commodore Nicholas Orjiudeh (retd), gave the advice in Aba.
“The deep cooperation between the power firm and the communities has led to a series of arrests in recent times of young men vandalising the power infrastructure in nine out of the 17 local government areas in Abia State serviced by Aba DisCo.
“Due to the impressive cooperation, two neighbourhood watches have just caught the same day in two communities the leaders of two gangs of robbers notorious for attacking transformers and armoured cables and other vital power components. They were caught in action,” Orjiudeh said..
Orjiudeh said one of the robbers was attacking power facilities on Umuimo Avenue, off the famous Aba-Owerri Road in Aba, when the local vigilante service saw him and quickly pounced on him while his colleagues fled.
He said it was easier to catch him than his colleagues because of his reputation in the locality as a robber. He said the second thief was apprehended while vandalising the power infrastructure at Isiala Osokwu in Isiala Ngwa South LGA.
Regius Amaechi, retired commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) who now works as the Deputy Chief Security Officer at Geometric Security Service, confirmed to correspondents that the two vandals were arrested by members of different neighbourhood watches who handed them over to his service.
He said after interrogation, they were handed over to the Rapid Response Squad of the Nigeria Police Force the Anti-Kidnapping Squad in Aba.
Both suspects are being tried at magistrate courts in Aba.
Orjiudeh noted that the spate of electricity vandalism in the Aba Ring-Fenced Area used to be much higher but was reduced significantly by a mechanism which the management of Aba Power introduced after it commenced operations in the Aba Ringed Area late last year.