COURT CONVICTS FOUR IN EBONYI STATE FOR VANDALISING EEDC PROPERTY

The Ebonyi State High Court has convicted four persons for vandalising property belonging to the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC).

The management of EEDC announced the convictions in a statement issued on Thursday by the Group Head of Corporate Communications, Mr. Emeka Ezeh.

According to the statement, one of the convicts, Chukwuma Onwe, was on 12 November 2025 sentenced to four years’ imprisonment by Hon. Justice John Igboji of the High Court of Ebonyi State, Ohaukwu Judicial Division, sitting in Ezzangbo.

His conviction followed a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, malicious damage, unlawful disconnection of transformer armoured cables, and stealing, contrary to the Ebonyi State Criminal Code, Cap. 33, Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria 2009.

On the conspiracy charge, Onwe received a three-year sentence, while the charges of vandalism and stealing earned him four years each. All sentences are to run concurrently.

The statement noted that Onwe was arrested by the Police in September 2023 for vandalising a transformer belonging to EEDC at Ntsulakpa, Ezzangbo Community, Ebonyi State.

In a similar development, on 7 November 2025, the same court sentenced Okefe Stanley, Aleke Kingsley, and Egba Friday to four years’ imprisonment each for vandalism, unlawful disconnection, malicious damage, and removal of aluminium conductors belonging to EEDC.

The trio were sentenced to three years for conspiracy and four years each for vandalism and stealing, with all sentences running concurrently.

Ezeh explained that the three men were arrested on 5 June 2023 by the vigilante group of Oshituma Community in Ohaukwu Local Government Area, Ebonyi State.

The management of EEDC commended the judiciary for the judgements and appealed for the speedy trial of other pending vandalism-related cases in court.

“We are pleased with these judgements and hope that they serve as a deterrent to those engaging in such criminal acts,” Ezeh stated.

He recalled that only a few months earlier, in August, also in Ebonyi State, four vandals—Ikechukwu Esseh, Ikedinachi Uche, Ukpai Godwin, and Uchenna Kalu—were sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment by Hon. Justice Nicholas E. Nwode for attacking a 7.5MVA Injection Substation belonging to EEDC at Education Board Road, Afikpo, in Afikpo North Local Government Area.

EEDC expressed appreciation to the Nigerian Police and the vigilante group of Ohaukwu Community for their vigilance and unwavering commitment to combating vandalism, noting that their efforts align with the company’s long-standing call for community collaboration in safeguarding critical electricity infrastructure.

Ezeh lamented the negative impact of vandalism on the company’s operations, emphasising that EEDC has continued to channel scarce resources into the restoration of vandalised or damaged equipment—resources that could otherwise have improved service delivery.

He urged customers to remain vigilant and safeguard electricity installations within their neighbourhoods, warning that vandalism inevitably results in service disruptions and inconvenience.