Electricity Offenders: KEDCO alerts public on special task force, vows to punish saboteurs

Following the resolution to protect its installation and end economic sabotage of power sector reform in Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States, Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) has in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Justice established a Special Investigation and Prosecution Task Force on Electricity Offenders (SIPTEO) to bring to book all electricity offenders of various kinds.

In view of this, the management has urged the public particularly those who are still in the business of vandalism, energy theft and meter by-pass and other unlawful acts to desist from such as there now exist a proper legal framework that will ensure that their next illegal act may become the last, as the laws of the federal republic of Nigeria will catch up with them.

“Interestingly, all members of the taskforce have concluded a special training in line with global best practices to handle issues relating to power sector sabotage of any kind. The members of the taskforce comprises KEDCO staff, the security personnel and lawyers from the Federal Ministry of Justice; it is a well-balanced taskforce that will run all electricity offenders out of business and put them in their proper place according to the dictate of the laws. Ignorance, it’s said is not an excuse before the law and even at that we are using this medium to warn as well as sensitise the public on the need to steer clear of whatever will incur the wrath of the special task force,” KEDCO noted in a statement by its Head, Corporate Communications, KEDCO, Ibrahim Sani Shawai.

KEDO added that refusing to pay outstanding bills after being served is an act that the law frowns at.

“Hence, KEDCO is also using the medium to call on all our customers that this aspect concerns to do the needful to avoid the embarrassment that the task force may cause them during prosecution,” he said.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna said: “We collaborate to set this task force in order to protect our customers. Like I always say, all we do is in the interest of our customers and that’s our watch word on which KEDCO is built.

“We cannot allow a few to dislocate the satisfaction of the majority. When some people vandalise our installations who suffer the most? Our customers who are faithful and deserve quality services that we are rendering to them now must be protected; this is the idea behind the SIPTEO and we will not relent to ensure that as we are massively investing in network expansion and facilities maintenance, we have modalities in place to protect the installations too.

“I want to use this platform to call on our numerous customers to ensure that they settle their outstanding bills to boost KEDCO’s financial capacity to serve them better.’’