The Special Investigation and Prosecution Task Force on Electricity Offenses, Northwest zonal office has announced the arrest of seven suspects in connection with pre-paid metre cloning, theft, metre vandalism and other related offences in Kaduna State and its environs.
ASP Aliyu Bamalli, the Zonal Head of the Task Force, while parading the suspects in Kaduna said that two other suspects were still at large, adding that they were being trailed by his men.
ASP Aliyu Bamalli explained that the arrest of the seven suspects followed consistent reports by Kaduna Electric of energy theft, vandalism which had over the years affected effective service delivery to electricity consumers in the state.
He announced the list of those arrested as, Iliya Maigeri, Alex Zamani (the chief cloner), Gambo Saidu (specializes in metre theft), Solomon Luka (Agent), Joseph Stephen (Technician) and Monday Joseph (Agent) as well as Francis Ahmadu.
ASP Bamalli further noted that the suspects had cloned two metres into 13 metres with the same meter number before their arrest by men of the Task Force.
He explained that the suspects were arrested at Barnawa, Kaduna South Local Government Area of the state, saying that they are still under investigation for necessary prosecution.
The ASP explained, “We arrested the syndicates following diligent investigation and manhunt because we work with Electricity Distribution Companies to safeguard against energy theft.”
The Kaduna Electric’s Head of Marketing, Alhaji Abubakar Jimeta, and his counterpart in Operations, Mr Abu Abass, observed that energy theft has resulted in the company loss of revenue estimated in millions of Naira.
They assured of the readiness of the company, saying that it would continue to do their best in partnership with the Task Force in the provision of improved power supply to electricity consumers in its franchise states.
