A man, Mr. Opafola Abiodun, has been apprehended by the Kaduna Electric during a night raid carried out on November 24, 2023.
It was gathered that the man was nabbed in his residence located at No. 18 Mopa Road, Kaduna.
The accused allegedly tapped electricity from the 11KV Leventis Feeder, but was caught in the act by an external by-pass on meter number 04190482713.
On September 28, Abiodun was disconnected from the power supply and charged with a total sum of N104,823.18, the HoU Non-MD Metering, Engr. U. A. Gumel, revealed.
The booking letter, duly acknowledged by Abubakar with GSM: 07056646853 on November 29, 2023, serves as a legal document confirming the charges.
Gumel explained that instead of settling the outstanding amount, Abiodun resorted to illegal reconnection during the evening and night hours.
Surveillance personnel on a routine monitoring operation were said to have caught him red-handed on November 24, 2023, prompting the action, while the matter was reported to the police, resulting in the arrest of the energy theft offender.
He further explained, “The case is currently under the jurisdiction of Kaduna Electric’s security unit, preparing for prosecution. In response to the repeated offenses, a second charge of ₦92,774.39 has been booked against Mr. Abiodun in accordance with the ORDER ON UNAUTHORISED ACCESS, METER TAMPERING, AND BY-PASS ORDER NO: NERC/REG/41/2017.”
Meanwhile, a 25-year-old indigene of Kano State, Ibrahim Mohammed, has been arrested by police in Bauchi State for allegedly stealing a car at a mosque in Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The suspect, who hails from Unguwan Gyadi-Gyadi in Kano State but resides in Gwarinpa, in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, was arrested by operatives attached to the Tilden Fulani Police Divisional Headquarters after he stole the vehicle and fled with it.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Bauchi State Command, Ahmed Wakil, disclosed these in a statement he made available to journalists on Wednesday.
Wakil, a Superintendent of Police, said the owner of the vehicle, a Toyota Vibe, parked it to observe the sunset prayers in a mosque but Mohammed stole it but was intercepted by the police after they received a signal on the incident from Kaduna.
He said: “On November 28, 2023, at about 0841hrs, credible intelligence available at the division’s disposal that a motor vehicle Toyota Vibe brand, red in colour with number plate MRR 227 AA was reported to have been stolen from a mosque on November 24, 2023, in Zaria local government area of Kaduna state.
“The vehicle was stolen when the owner parked at the mosque to observe sunset prayer. Upon receiving the report, operatives attached to the division led by the Divisional Police Officer intensified stop-and-search on the highway linking Bauchi and Plateau states.
“As luck ran out of the suspect, the vehicle alongside the suspect was intercepted along the highway. Thus, the suspect is identified as Ibrahim Mohammed (25), male, of Unguwan Gyadi-Gyadi Kano State but residing in Gwarinpa, FCT Abuja.
“During the preliminary investigation, the suspect confessed to have stolen the said vehicle at the mosque premises in Zaria Kaduna state. The vehicle was thoroughly searched and a document of the vehicle was equally recovered.”
According to him, the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, Auwal Mohammed, directed that the suspect be transferred to Kaduna state for further investigation and prosecution.