Two suspected vandals, Oluwadamilola Wasiu and Adekunle Faruk, are in the custody of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly stealing electric cables from a transformer serving Lawson Street in Ogba, in the Ojodu Local Council Development Area.

Senior Special Assistant on Print Media to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Wale Ajetunmobi, had in a post on X, on Tuesday, said residents of the community and officers of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps apprehended the suspects, while the third accomplice, identified as Ibrahim, fled with their tools and other stolen items.

Mr Ajetunmobi also claimed that the nabbed 30-year-old and 20-four-year old suspects were officials of the Debt Management Control Unit of the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company.

Clarifying the development however, Head of Corporate Communications at Ikeja Electric, Kingsley Okotie, in a statement on Wednesday, said, “This claim is incorrect,” explaining that the nabbed suspects are employees of a company they engaged for debt recovery operations.

Mr Okotie said, “The individuals in question are employees of Arise Business Link, a company engaged by Ikeja Electric for debt recovery operations. They are currently being interrogated by the Lagos State Police Command to gather more information about their activities, possible accomplices, and other relevant details to aid their prosecution.”

He stated that Ikeja Electric had earlier in the year, appealed to community members, security agencies, and traditional institutions to assist in combating vandalism and energy theft by reporting suspicious activities. 

He said, “The collaboration with security groups and communities such as Lawson-Oke-Ira in Ojodu and Epe has been instrumental in tackling these crimes. Just weeks ago, vandals along the Epe corridor were apprehended, and now another group has been caught.”

He added that Ikeja Electric does not condone any unlawful act by its direct employees, third-party contractors, and any individual or group, regardless of their status undermining its commitment to delivering efficient and reliable power supply.

He commended the state government, security agencies, communities, traditional rulers, and other stakeholders for their support in the fight against vandalism, energy theft, and safety infractions which not only disrupt power supply but also lead to significant financial losses due to infrastructure replacement and revenue shortfalls.