By NEFISHETU YAKUBU

A middle-age man was, in the early hours of Tuesday, electrocuted while trying to vandalise a BEDC transformer on Airport road in Benin.The deceased, whose identity has not yet been ascertained, was said to have succeeded in cutting some of the cables before he was electrocuted.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the incident drew the ire of passers-by, as many were seen raining curses on the deceased for being the one responsible for putting the area in darkness. One of the residents of the area, Mr Emmanuel James, blamed the action of the deceased on a get-rich-quick syndrome.

Speaking at the scene of the incident, the BEDC Electricity Plc’s acting Head, Corporate Communications, Mrs Evelyn Gbiwen, decried what she called incessant act of energy theft and vandalism of the company’s facilities.

NAN reports that BEDC’s franchise states include: Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti. Gbiwen called on people to desist from vandalising the company’s transformers, stressing that this could have significant impacts on the community.

She expressed the regret that in spite of BEDC’s regular warning to the members of the public to desist from vandalism and energy theft, many still indulged in the act, which she described as dangerous.

“This singular act of the vandal has thrown the entire community into total darkness,” Gbiwen said.

She appealed to residents to be vigilant and protect BEDC’s facilities from vandals so that the company could serve them better. (NAN)