28th September, 2012
Two suspected cable vandals have been arrested by the Protection Unit of the Lagos State Police Command for stealing street light cables belonging to the Lagos State Electricity Board, LSEB.
The suspected cable vandals were arrested at about 4a.m on Tuesday at Eko Bridge, Lagos, southwest Nigeria while stealing the street light cables.
One of the suspects, 30, who hails from Jos in Plateau State is married with a daughter and claims to be a cart pusher who specialised in buying iron aluminium and electronics gadgets, among others.
“I was a scavenger. I used to sell metal scrap which I conveyed with my wheelbarrow. This is what I used to do to feed my wife and daughter. However, when the state government came up with a law against street hawking and other similar jobs, task force operatives started disturbing me. They seized five wheel barrows from me,” he stated.
He said he was lured into stealing of cables by his friends “because it was an easy way of getting money and it is a lucrative business. This is my second time of stealing street light cable. We normally sell the cable to some people at Ijora for a cheap amount between N1,000 and N4,000.”
The other suspect, 19, and a bricklayer from Offa, Kwara State, said his friend convinced him to follow him to work, saying that he did not know the nature of his work and that it was his first time of stealing the cable.
Head, Public Lighting, LSEB, Engr. Ambali Olusegun said there had been concern over vandalism of street lighting cables, saying that “we had series of cable theft at Oduduwa Crescent GRA and Mobolaji Bank Anthony, among others and the community too should be at alert and adopt safety measures.
“When they notice strange people around the street light in their community, they should raise alarm or call the phone number attached to the pole,” he said.
Head, Electrification, LSEB, Engr. Adeeko Adebayo said the case of cable theft had been rampant, citing an incident that happened recently at Awolowo Road, where cables that were laid underground were vandalised two days after.
The suspected vandals had been taken to Lion Building for further investigation and would be charged to Court later.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga