By Godfrey George
Residents of the Ikosi community in the Ikosi Isheri Local Council Development Area of Kosofe Local Government Area, Lagos State have been thrown into darkness after vandals stole cables supplying power to the community.
The transformer stationed in front of the LCDA secretariat was said to have been burgled by 2.55 am on Wednesday, May 29, 2024.
Sunday PUNCH gathered that the thieves, who stormed the area, broke into the transformer house, turned off the power line and stole the cables in the dead of the night.
This has put the lives of residents and businesses in distress.
The transformer is said to also supply power to the Ikosi Health Centre, parts of the secretariat and the Ikosi Main Market, amongst several other businesses.
Some residents who spoke to our correspondent said it took them two days to realise that the fault was not from Ikeja Electric, the disco in charge of the area.
“We didn’t have light for over two days, and we thought it was Ikeja Electric’s fault. When we got to their office to tell them about the situation, they sent their men who came and checked our transformer.
“They realised the power cables had been stolen,” said a resident, Pastor Akin Olawande.
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A bakery owner, Mr Chuks Amadi, said he has had to run his bakery with a generating set since the theft.
“I have spent so much money, and I only just paid my electricity bill a few days before the incident. This area is a Band-A area. We always used to have power for, at least, 18 hours. Imagine having no power for almost two weeks. It has been stressful,” he said.
A frozen foods seller at the market in the area, Ibukunoluwa Afe, said she has had to sell her frozen foods at ridiculous prices so that it would not get spoilt.
“I lost over four cartons of fish and two cartons of chicken. I had just purchased it and it had not frozen properly before the power cut. It has been so terrible for me,” she said.
Meanwhile, sources in the community said Ikeja Electric has promised to replace to cables and restore power to the community.
A security operative in the area who did not want his name in print for personal reasons said the Disco told the community to provide a fence around the transformer so it would be difficult for it to gain access without authorisation.
He said, “Each compound in the area was levied N3000. Once payment is complete, a small fence will be built around the transformer to forestall future occurrence.”
Efforts to get an official statement from Ikeja Electric proved abortive, as a phone number said to be assigned to the public affairs personnel rang out, and text messages sent were not replied to as of press time.