Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc (AEDC) has expressed concerns over the high frequency of incidents of vandalism to its electrical assets and installations across its franchise area.
According to the company, the incidents seriously impeded its efforts to deliver a stable and reliable power supply to its esteemed customers.
To this end, the management of AEDC disclosed that it had strengthened its collaboration with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and Community leaders, and even recently set up a Civilian JTF component to protect its networks.
The Chief Marketing Officer of the company, Mr. Donald Etim, in a statement, he issued on Sunday in Abuja, explained that last year, the company following its sincere desire to ensure improved power supply, activated a rich basket of technical and commercial projects that would upon completion significantly improve power supply to customers and thereby enrich customer experience.
“Some elements of these various projects involved the procurement and installation of various electrical equipment worth millions of Naira. Unfortunately, many of these installations are currently being vandalized across the network, causing very painful power supply disruptions, untold hardship and losses to its customers, and huge financial and reputation losses to the company”, Etim said.
He condemned the acts of the plunderers, stating that: ‘‘The surge in cases of vandalism within our franchise area has become quite worrisome, especially so because these vandals lately; increasingly utilize unfathomable methods to perpetrate their criminal acts.
“This technique upgrade to their evil trade has emboldened the thieves to attack more urban assets and installations of late, thereby affecting higher customer densities. Recently, One Hundred and Eighty-Five (185) meters of XLPE underground cable was carted away at the Central Business Area, Abuja FCT, valued at over 5 million Naira at just one location out of several others that have been similarly affected across our franchise. The multiplier effect of these damages runs into billions of naira’’.
