By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Management of the Enugu Electricity Distribution (EEDC) has decried the increasing rate at which some of its customers engage in acts of energy theft, especially meter bypass.

It lamented thta the development has consistently impacted negatively on the revenue of the company and ultimately impacted its ability to meet up with its obligations to the Market Operators.

The Head, Corporate Communications, EEDC, Mr. Emeka Ezeh, while expressing concern over the development in Enugu over the weekend, recounted the recent apprehension of one of the company’s Maximum Demand customers by its Task Force team, for involving in meter bypass.

The customer, identified as Nkemjika Industry Limited, totally bypassed the meter installed in its facility and directly connected the armoured cables from the mains to the factory, a situation that kept the meter idle while the customer was busy consuming energy.

It was gathered that the customer, now a third time offender in meter bypass, is in the habit of downing tools during the day (giving the impression of low business activity) only to resume full operations at night when EEDC officials must have all closed for the day. Luck, however ran out on them when they were busted and caught in the act by the Task Force.

Ezeh lamented at the increasing rate at which the company’s high energy consuming customers are engaging in this act of sabotage, stressing that there is need to nip this in the board.

According to the company’s spokesperson, one of their customers identified as Princess Guest House, based at Ikenegbu Extension, Owerri, has been apprehended the fourth time for engaging in meter tampering and illegal reconnection. Another one, Arizona Industries Limited, located at Emene Industrial Layout, Emene, Enugu, has been caught thrice for engaging in meter tampering and insertion of resistors on all the phases behind the meter board.

“If this growing trend is not abated, the sector will continue to feel the negative impact of these infractions”, Ezeh said.

In a related development at Woliwo area of Onitsha, Anambra State, a prepaid meter connected to No. 31 Oguta Road, Onitsha, was bypassed. When discovered by the team of Task Force, one of the occupants of the building identified as Elizabeth Megafu resisted the team from disconnecting the building, threatening them with cutlass. It took the intervention of the Police to eventually carry out the disconnection.

Meter bypass accounts for the huge losses recorded by the distribution companies and this largely impacts negatively on the growth of the power sector. There is therefore the need for perpetrators to desist from this criminal act which is undermining the power sector.

“The company has been investing in its network infrastructure and working assiduously to consistently improve its operations to deliver quality service to its customers, but this cannot be sustained if customers continue to sabotage these efforts”.

Ezeh appealed to those customers engaging in this evil act to desist from such as the Task Force team shall continue to be on the lookout for offenders and when caught appropriate sanctions will be applied.

Customers are also encouraged to report anyone engaging in such act through the established Whistle Blowing platforms: 0814 602 6678, 084 700 110, and ethics@enugudisco.com

Update news