A suspected vandal met his untimely death on Saturday in Damaturu, Yobe State, after being electrocuted while attempting to steal an exposed live wire from a transformer substation at Commissioners’ Quarters.
According to a statement issued by Blessing Tunoh, Communications Officer of Yola Electricity Distribution Company, the incident occurred when the suspect tampered with the live wire in an attempt to steal it.
The company’s Regional Manager, Operations, and Maintenance Officer visited the scene after receiving a report of the incident. The Damaturu police patrol team, codenamed “Operation Haba Maza,” evacuated the suspect’s body from the substation and took it to the Damaturu Teaching Hospital.
Relatives of the deceased later identified and claimed the body at the hospital.
This incident highlights the dangers of vandalism and the importance of respecting electrical installations to avoid such tragic occurrences.
“Investigation revealed that the deceased attempted to use his shirt to shield himself while tampering with an exposed live wire during the illegal act.
“Unfortunately, contact with the live cable led to his instant electrocution but the transformer was not damaged, and no further vandalism was reported,” she said.
Tunoh quoted the Police Public Relations Officer, Yobe Command, DSP Dungus Abdulkarim, as saying that the deceased had attempted to steal the power assets at about 1:00 a.m.
“There was power outage when the suspected vandal entered into the transformer substation but was suddenly electrocuted when power was restored.
“His lifeless body was discovered in the early hours of the morning by residents on their way to the mosque for morning prayers.
“The incident was promptly reported to the Maisandari ‘B’ Division of the Police Command in Yobe, which deployed personnel to evacuate the body.
“We will continue to support the YEDC in protecting their installations and prosecuting arrested vandals who damage power infrastructure and disrupt services,” she quoted Abdulkarim as saying.
NAN.
