School Teacher, 5 Others Arrested For Bypassing Electricity Meter In Osun

No fewer than six people have been arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC) in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, for alleged energy theft.

The suspects which included a school teacher and a Person With a Disability(PWD) were paraded at the Osun State Command of NSCDC along Iwo road.

The Sector Commandant of NSCDC, Agboola Sunday, while parading the suspects, revealed their names as Jaye Abayomi (22yrs), Patrick Femi (37yrs), Abidemi Enoch(33yrs), Jackson Imukoro(35yrs), Fatima Adeleke(39yrs), Azeez Mutiu(40yrs) and Micheal Sunday(45yrs).

He added that they were arrested on October 13th 2023 in the Awosuru, Alekuwodo, Jaleyemi, Omigade and Ogo-Oluwa areas of Osogbo.

A school teacher named Patrick Femi confessed to having bypassed his electricity meter after the terminal for recharging the prepaid meter was faulty. Also, a PWD named Abidemi Enoch confessed to having bypassed his meter when he exhausted his electricity units and was unable to purchase tokens.

Similarly, the spokesperson of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company(IBEDC), Osun region, Kike Owoeye disclosed that over 100 people have been arrested for energy theft in the last seven months.

She explained, “Energy theft has to do with meter bypassing, meter tampering and illegal connection. Anybody that is found guilty of these will be prosecuted. They will be arrested through the help of law enforcement agencies and ensure that they are charged to court. We are yet to secure any conviction on the cases at hand.”