Thief dies trying to steal cables in Edo

A suspected thief was electrocuted while trying to steal power cables from the Etete Injection Substation of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company Plc in Benin City, Edo State.

Police from the Etete Division took the body from the facility on Tuesday morning.

The injection substation gets electricity from the transmission network and sends it into the distribution network for consumers. It showed damage after the failed theft attempt.

Evelyn Gbiwen, BEDC’s Head of Branding and Corporate Communications, spoke with journalists. She said the company got a report that a suspected thief was electrocuted after returning to the facility to continue stealing cables.

According to her, vandals believed to be from the same group broke into the substation on Sunday and took away several copper cables. They returned on Monday night.

Gbiwen mentioned that, expecting another attack, the company’s Regional Head, Technical, told staff to stay alert.

She explained, “The suspect was electrocuted after mistakenly cutting what he thought was an earthing cable, but which was actually a neutral cable connected to the power transformer. This caused an electrical explosion.”

Gbiwen repeated BEDC’s call for communities to help protect important power facilities. She described vandalism as a growing problem across the company’s four franchise states.

“The damage to electricity infrastructure continues to disrupt power supply and cause big financial losses for the company. I urge residents living near substations and transformers to be watchful,” Gbiwen added.

Engr. Afebogbe Oguezor, the Regional Head, Technical, Benin South Region, also spoke. He said early findings showed that the suspects likely got in by climbing over the perimeter fence, even with security at the facility.

Oguezor said BEDC is thinking about adding barbed wire and other security measures to stop future attacks.