Two convicted for theft of Ikeja Electric cranes

Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company

Two men have been convicted by an Ikeja Magistrate Court for stealing three iron cranes valued at N140,000, which is property of Ikeja Electric (IE).

The accused, John Bitto and Chibuzor Obilo, pleaded guilty to the two-count charge of committing felony and stealing, an offence punishable under section 409 of the criminal law of Lagos State 2011.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Augustine Adefemi, told the court that the accused persons committed the offence and stole the items with others at large in the early hours of June 13, 2017 at Oregun area of Ikeja, Lagos State, an offence, which was contrary to section 285 of the criminal law of the state.

The magistrate, Mrs. O. Oladele, sentenced the accused to one year imprisonment without an option of fine.

IE’s Head of Corporate Communications, Felix Ofulue, hailed the verdict as a positive step in their campaign against all forms of electricity theft and vandalisation of their installations.

Meanwhile, the electricity firm has launched a whistleblowing platform to enable customers reveal or report illegal and unethical activities in a safe, confidential and secure manner for immediate attention.

The platform, which is independently managed by Deloitte, one of Nigeria’s leading professional service firms, allows customers report anonymously by making using of multiple channels; a toll free hotline; an email platform; a web-based service and a mobile app available on ios and Android.

Speaking on the initiative, Ofulue explained that the new platform is one of the many measures put in place to encourage a culture of transparency and accountability.