Man badly burnt while vandalising 33KV BEDC power cable in Delta

A 34-year-old man identified as John Pere sustained severe injuries when the electricity supply was restored to a 33KV cable belonging to the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) he was vandalising, in Delta State.

The incident reportedly occurred in the wee hours of Thursday, October 3, at the road leading to the 3 Battalion Nigerian Army, Effurun Barracks, off the popular Refinery Road, Warri, Delta State.

Luck ran out for Pere when power was suddenly restored to the armoured cable he was trying to cut. Pere who was seen writhing in severe pain with burns all over him at the scene of the incident, narrated that he was an expert at climbing electric poles without a ladder. Narrating further, he confirmed to be responsible for similar vandalism of electricity cables in Obodo which he usually sells to itinerant cart pushers.

The vandal who disclosed that he operates alone said he had attempted illegal oil bunkering but failed to make a living from the business before switching to vandalising electricity cables.

BEDC’s Public Affairs Relations manager, Esther Okolie, in reaction to the incident, said if the vandal had succeeded in his mission, the entire Refinery Road substation would have been out of service.

She partly attributed electricity cable vandalization to the inability of distribution companies to ensure a steady power supply in the country, explaining that in such instances, BEDC would have to replace the stolen cable before restoring power to the affected areas.

As of the time of this report, the police were yet to arrive at the scene of the incident to commence investigations or take the badly burnt vandal to the hospital.

Police Public Relations Officer, Delta State Command, Bright Edafe, said the command will investigate the incident to confirm if the suspect operates alone or with other vandals.