“…as JED Plc Intensifies Crackdown on Infrastructure Sabotage… “
By Suzan Edeh, Bauchi
In a significant stride towards curbing vandalism, the Upper Sharia Court in Toro, Bauchi State, has convicted a vandal, identified as Julabib Muhammed and sentenced him to two years in prison for destroying a transformer belonging to Jos Electricity Distribution (JED Plc).
Describing the ruling as an answered prayer to the menace of incessant vandalism that has plagued the JED network in recent times, the company’s Acting Managing Director/CEO, Mammanlafia Umar expressed hope that the conviction would serve as a deterrent to others.
“The company’s productivity is severely hampered when funds that should be directed toward network expansion and strategic upgrades are frequently diverted to rehabilitate vandalized infrastructure.”
“As partners in progress, we urge all our host communities to join our ongoing efforts also taking ownership and safeguarding the installations around them. We will not relent in our efforts to reduce cases of vandalism to the barest minimum. All apprehended vandals will be prosecuted and punished in accordance with the law”Mammanlafia said
The Director called on all stakeholders, particularly host communities, to actively support the protection of JED Plc’s transformers and other electrical assets within their environments even as he commended the Toro Community in Bauchi State for their vigilance, which helped thwart a recent attempted act of vandalism, during which already vandalized items were recovered.
JED Plc remains committed to safeguarding its infrastructure and ensuring a stable, reliable power supply across its franchise states, as submitted the Company’s Ag. Head of Corporate Communications, Saratu Dauda Aliyu.