Unidentified man in his middle age was electrocuted early on Tuesday in an attempt to vandalize cables and a transformer owned by Jos Electricity Distribution Company.
The incident happened in front of the Queens Hotel, which is situated in Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, in the Ankpa Ward.
When the locals awoke, they discovered his lifeless body dangling between the two poles that held the transformer’s cables.
One of the residents, who identified himself as Terkula, said that the victim took advantage of power outages in the area to commit the act.
He added that the man likely met his end when power was unexpectedly restored.
He said, “We woke up this morning at about 5 am and discovered that electricity had been restored in some areas and streets close to ours. Thus, a couple of our neighbors proceeded to examine the transformer. Upon reaching the location, we discovered that every cable and other equipment had been taken down, and we came across a dead body atop the pole.
“We promptly informed the ‘D’ Division police station, and they came to remove the body.”
When contacted, Dr Adakole Elijah, Head of Corporate Communications at JED, confirmed the incident. Even though there is strict security surrounding JED installations, he denounced the actions of vandals in Benue State.
He said, “It has become practically impossible for the company to single-handedly protect these assets. That is why we are advising and pleading with communities to take ownership of electricity facilities in their areas, as it is them that the facility serves.
“Each time our facilities are vandalised, we spend significant amounts of money to restore services, only for them to be vandalised again. While the assets belong to the company, the communities are the end users.
“Vandalism of these facilities puts communities at risk in terms of security, social, and economic benefits. We continue to plead with people, especially community policing and vigilantes, to assist in safeguarding these assets.”
The Police Public Relations Officer for the State Command, SP Catherine Anene, also confirmed the incident. She said, “I am aware that someone was electrocuted in Wadata while attempting to vandalise a transformer. I received a report about that.”
Published by Ejoh Caleb
