The company identified the deceased as Tochukwu Onah (alias Toshiba), an Ede-Oballa Community native and barber (the same community where the transformer is located).
Emeka Ezeh, the Head of Corporate Communications at EEDC, relayed the news to reporters in Enugu on Sunday, describing the tragedy as one that had cut the young man's life short in his prime.
Mr. Ezeh stated that the body of the suspect was discovered within the space of an EEDC distribution transformer early Saturday morning in Ede-Oballa, Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State.
It is believed that the unfortunate vandal was electrocuted while attempting to vandalise a distribution transformer whose cables had already been destroyed.
Mr. Ezeh recalled the multiple instances of vandalism reported by the company in 2022, which significantly impacted not only the revenue but also the quality of service provided to consumers.
Therefore, he urged the people to look inwards as well, as some of the perpetrators of these acts may reside in the neighbourhood or community.
Mr. Ezeh related a similar incident that occurred in November 2022 in the same Ede-Oballa neighbourhood, in which the culprit of transformer vandalism was killed.
According to him, vandalism has been a significant concern for the organisation, and it cannot cope with it without the assistance of its stakeholders.
Mr. Ezeh urged customers to join forces with the corporation to root out these few individuals, who resided among us and were making life unpleasant for the majority of the population.
He reaffirmed the company's stance on any of its employees implicated in such an incident.
This individual would not only be shown the door, but would also be punished, as the organisation has zero tolerance for such criminal behaviour.
Mr. Ezeh further confirmed that none of the suspects arrested had been identified as employees of the company, nor had any of the individuals arrested claimed to be working or collaborating with any employee of the company.
°EEDC extends its condolences to the family of the dead and hopes that this act of sabotage and depravity acts as a deterrence to those responsible for plunging an entire neighbourhood or town into absolute darkness," he added.
