Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has established a Special Investigation and Prosecution Task Force on Electricity Offences (SIPTEO).
Head of Communications Emeka Ezeh, in a statement to reporters in Enugu, said the action would check individuals and organisations engaging in energy theft and vandalism of electrical infrastructure.
He said those behind electricity theft and vandalism were in for a tough time.
Ezeh noted that the company warned those involved in such criminal acts to be ready for the task force, “as there will be no sacred cow.”
He said during the task force’s inauguration, Acting Managing Director Mr. Paul Okeke urged the SIPTEO team to be professional in the discharge of its responsibility.
Okeke enjoined the committee to exhibit a high level of integrity and respect for human rights.
The statement quoted Okeke as saying that “the high prevalence of meter bypass and energy theft in the Southeast has been a challenge to EEDC, as the company has recorded losses in its revenue monthly.”
He decried threats to the company’s performance and sustainability in its states of operation.
“It is, therefore, expected that with the inauguration of SIPTEO, the rate of theft and vandalism within the network will be reduced.
“This will bring about increase in revenue and more efficient service delivery to electricity customers in the Southeast,’’ Okeke said.
The team leader of the 18-man SIPTEO, Spencer Tyozua, assured the EEDC management that his men, who have been selected for the task, will be responsible and professional in their duties.
SIPTEO, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice, EEDC and the Police, was first inaugurated in Abuja last year, under the Electric Power Sector Reform Act 2005 and other regulations.
The Act empowers the task force to investigate, arrest and prosecute theft, vandalism as well as recovery of lost revenue.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that EEDC operations cover five states in the Southeast, including Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo and Enugu.