By Pamela Eboh
A former staff of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC), Lawrence Okeke, has been arrested and handed over to the police in Onitsha, Anambra State, for allegedly bypassing and tampering prepaid meters for EEDC customers.
Information has it that Okeke specialises in the act of replacing original meter sensors with fake ones, thereby bypassing the meters and making them not to record the actual consumption by customers which negatively impacted on the revenue of the power distribution company.
This was disclosed by the Head of Corporate Communications, EEDC, Mr. Emeka Ezeh to journalists on Thursday.
According to him. the suspect was arrested following a tip off by a whistle blower, and the Meter Monitoring Team of the company was immediately deployed to some locations on a routine meter monitoring inspection.
He said, “At one of the customer’s premises visited at Bida Road, Onitsha, they discovered that the meter was bypassed, and the original meter sensor removed and replaced with the fake one.
“While the team interrogated the customer who already admitted their findings, the customer gave out the identity and contact of the individual that performed the bypass as Lawrence Okeke, who happens to be an ex-staff of EEDC.
“Immediately, Lawrence was tracked and arrested, and handed over to the Central Police Station, Onitsha, where he is currently assisting the Police in their investigation,” the EEDC image maker stated further.
Ezeh further said that the suspect who hails from Adogba Village in Awgu Local Government Area, of Enugu State, was disengaged from EEDC in December 2020 for gross misconduct.
He added, “The apprehension of the suspect by the team is a great breakthrough in the organization’s fight against meter bypass and energy theft.
“It is believed that by the time the investigation is concluded, a lot of atrocities already perpetrated by the likes of Lawrence in our network, will be unraveled.”
Ezeh however cautioned customers who engage in meter bypass to desist from such, saying that the company has stepped up its prepaid meter monitoring activities and anyone caught will be made to face the music.
He also advised the customers against the activities of some ex-staff of EEDC who still parade the network as though they are still working for the company, wven when they are busy extorting unsuspecting customers and carrying out criminal and illegal activities that undermine the organization’s efforts in providing quality services to its esteemed customers.
“Customers should always be mindful of who they are engaging as staff of EEDC and be sure of their identity, as a lot of people out there carrying out illegalities, parading as staff of EEDC are not in its employ”, Ezeh warned.
While commending the whistle blower for giving the information that led to the arrest of Lawrence, Ezeh urged customers to feel free to report any suspected case of meter bypass and energy theft through the company’s whistle blowing platforms (08146026678 or other channels, assuring that their identities will be protected.
