MAN ELECTROCUTED IN YOBE WHILE TRYING TO STEAL FROM TRANSFORMER
A suspected vandal has been electrocuted while tampering with an exposed live wire in an attempt to steal it from a transformer substation at Commissionersā Quarters in Damaturu, the Yobe capital.
The Communications Officer, Yola Electricity Distribution Company, Blessing Tunoh, made this known in a statement issued in Yola on Saturday.
Tunoh said that the companyās Regional Manager, Operations, visited the scene alongside the Maintenance Officer, after receiving the report of the incident.
She said that the suspectās body was evacuated from the substation by the Damaturu police patrol team codenamed: āOperation Haba Maza,ā and taken to the Damaturu Teaching Hospital.
The companyās spokesperson said that the relatives of the deceased came and identified the deceasedās corpse on arrival at the hospital and claimed it.
āInvestigation revealed that the deceased attempted to use his shirt to shield himself while tampering with an exposed live wire during the illegal act.
āUnfortunately, contact with the live cable led to his instant electrocution but the transformer was not damaged, and no further vandalism was reported,ā she said.
Tunoh quoted the Police Public Relations Officer, Yobe Command, DSP Dungus Abdulkarim, as saying that the deceased had attempted to steal the power assets at about 1:00 a.m.
āThere was power outage when the suspected vandal entered into the transformer substation but was suddenly electrocuted when power was restored.
āHis lifeless body was discovered in the early hours of the morning by residents on their way to the mosque for morning prayers.
āThe incident was promptly reported to the Maisandari āBā Division of the Police Command in Yobe, which deployed personnel to evacuate the body.
āWe will continue to support the YEDC in protecting their installations and prosecuting arrested vandals who damage power infrastructure and disrupt services,ā she quoted Abdulkarim as saying.
NAN.