The management of Ikeja Electric (IE) in Lagos on Thursday said it had restored electricity supply to communities in Ijegun, after many months of outage from vandalism of the company’s facilities in the area.

Mr Felix Ofulue, the Head, Corporate Communications Unit of the company, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Ofulue said that the repairs took a longer time because the damage done to the transformers were enormous, adding that cables were also stolen from them.

He, therefore, enjoined electricity consumers in the area to safeguard the company’s equipment from further vandalism.

“From Okota to Ikotun, down to Ijegun, cases of vandalism have become very rampant and this is contributory to the irregular power supply to consumers in those areas.

“In the last three months, we have witnessed more than 10 cases of vandalism in these areas,’’ he said.
Ofulue said the company was spending money it would have used to boost its equipment for better and improved power supply on the repair and replacement of vandalised transformers.

“We urge all communities on our network to secure electricity facilities in their neighbourhoods against vandalism.

“This is because when it happens, it is the consumers that will be in darkness.

“It is, therefore, better for community leaders to organise vigilance groups to safeguard these facilities, so that they can continue to enjoy them,’’ he said.

Residents of Ijegun on July 20 decried the incessant vandalism of transformers in their area, which had put the community in darkness for over two months.

The electricity distribution company said that the manner the transformers were being vandalised, left room for suspicion that the vandals were professionals.

(Source: NAN)