- The Senate Committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy has recommended to the upper chamber, a 10-year jail term without an option of fine for anyone found guilty of theft of public power equipment
- A seven-year jail term or two million naira fine or both, when one connects or disconnects electric wire to either the electricity meter or to the public power supply lines, was also recommended
- The committee further recommended a five-year jail term or N500,000 fine for anyone who obstructs, confronts, fights, assaults or causes bodily injury to power company personnel, among others
A 10-year jail term without an option of fine has been recommended by the Senate Committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy for anyone found guilty to have conspired, counseled or accepted to procure or to hold in custody, stolen parts, components or pieces of public power equipment.
The committee, chaired by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP-Abia South), stated that the power equipment include electric cable, transformer, high tension wire, power console, electrical insulators, among others, Vanguard reports.
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Legit.ng gathers that the committee further recommended that anyone who willfully and unlawfully destroys, damages or removes any electricity distribution lines or anything connected therewith, or otherwise prevents or obstructs the distribution of electricity through the distribution, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a five million naira fine or five-year jail term, or both.
A seven-year jail term or two million naira fine or both, when one connects or disconnects electric wire to either the electricity meter or to the public power supply lines, was also recommended by the committee.
The committee further said those found guilty of using a tampered meter, current reversing transformer, shorting or shunting wire, loop connection by-passing a meter, or those who deploy any other device or method to use public electricity will also be jailed for seven years or pay a two million naira fine.
In the same vein, the committee recommended that anyone who tampers with, cuts by any means, or causes any other person to disrupt the supply of public electric power, when prosecuted and convicted, shall be sentenced to not less than five years in jail or shall pay a fine of N500,000 or both.
It further recommended a five-year jail term or N500,000 fine for anyone who obstructs, confronts, fights, assaults or causes bodily injury to power company personnel.
The committee’s report was laid on Thursday, April 11 and shall be deliberated on and considered this week.
The Senate has also been urged by the committee to consider and pass the bill for An Act to amend the Electric Power Sector Reform Act No. 6,2005 to prohibit theft of electricity, theft and destruction of electricity supply, infrastructure and prescribe appropriate penalties for violations; and for other related matters, 2019(SB.496).
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a 36-year-old facility manager, Mohammed Yusuf, was sentenced to six months imprisonment for diversion of electricity supply from a meter.
Yusuf, who resides at River Park Estate, Lugbe, was sentenced on a count charge of theft by the Wuse Zone 6 chief magistrates’ court, Abuja.
The magistrate, Abdulmajid Oniyangi, however, gave the convict an N8,000 option of fine. Oniyangi said the court was lenient because Yusuf had no record of previous conviction.
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Source: Legit.ng
