A Maiduguri businessman identified as Dabarju Anarju has been arrested over illegal tapping of power from an electricity installation meant to power streetlights.
He was accused of using the streetlights supply to run different types of equipment in his shop located at NUJ, New GRA where he sold cold drinks, ice blocks and other provisions. He was also accused of extending his shop illegally to encroach on public land.
On the 21st of June 2022, he was arrested by both the Nigerian Security and the Civil Defense Corps. It was reported that his shop was brought down by the Borno Geographic Information System.
However, according to Engr. dam B. Bababe, the executive secretary of BOGIS, the demolition has occurred as a result of his failure to comply with several notices he was served with, in compliance with the laws. He was also charged for bribing people in order to keep his misconduct hidden.
He said the shop owner was reported by members of the community to NSCDC and BOGIS. According to the executive secretary, prior to the demolition, the shop had been marked in January for demolition, for illegal expansion into the road.
It was stated after the investigation, that the extension was part of a ploy to take advantage of the streetlights power supply to run his private business which has been in operation for years.
It was reported that the streetlight operator in charge of the area became suspicious of the shop on Tuesday and had asked Dabarju the source of the power with which the fridges were powered as there was no sound of a generator.
To confirm, the operator decided to shut down the generator supplying power to the streetlights, following which the shop also went into darkness. 21 refrigerators were sighted in the shop and 6 out of them were connected to the streetlight power using underground cables. The NSCDC was informed and the man was arrested.