The Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) has decried the rising energy theft and illegal connection by residents within the Lekki business unit and threatened to prosecute anyone caught in the act.

Tinuade Sanda, EEDC’s chief executive officer, spoke on Friday during the customers’ engagement forum in Lagos tagged: “DisCo’s Energy Theft Awareness Week.”

Ms Sanda, represented by Catherine Ezeafulukwe, the chief customer experience officer of EKEDC, said a high rate of energy theft was the major hindrance to steady power supply within the area.

She disclosed that the management of EKEDC was working with the police and communities’ vigilantes to reduce vandalism on its network.

Ms Sanda said the DisCo had arrested many of the vandals currently being prosecuted.

She also condemned the illegal activities of ex-officials of EKEDC who were found to have been involved in defrauding customers within the Lekki-Ajah axis.

According to her, EKEDC has taken actions, including suspending and dismissing staff found guilty of this act.

She, however, advised customers to expose those bypassing metres and energy theft in their areas.

“The fact is that over 80 per cent of these criminals are our old and dismissed staff. We need the cooperation of the general public to help us identify and hand them over to the police,” she said.

She lamented that it was unfortunate that many customers were unwilling to pay for their consumption.

“This is why we are struggling to recoup our bills as an electricity distribution company.

“To address this issue, we have implemented a policy requiring all customers on distribution transformers to pay up to 50 per cent of the energy consumed in a particular period before they can enjoy more service,” she said.

On meter, Sanda disclosed that EKEDC had commenced aggressive metering of all its customers who have paid for the facility.

Also, Oluwafemi Olaoye, the general manager technical, EKEDC, addressed the discrepancies in power supply in some areas against others.

Mr Olaoye explained that feeders in different locations are classified into different categories and bands, ranging from band A to E.

“Each band has a specific hour of the day when electricity is supplied on those feeders,” Mr Olaoye said.

(NAN)