Dismissed police officer arrested for electricity vandalism
3 min read
Francis Williams
A dismissed police sergeant has been arrested for vandalizing the electricity infrastructure of Aba Power Ltd, Nigeria’s newest electricity distribution company that provides electricity to nine of the 17 local government areas in Abia State.
Francis Williams, who is said to be 29 of age, was arrested after the 50KV transformer at National High School, off Port Harcourt Road in Aba, Abia State was vandalized.
“Francis had successfully removed vital and expensive parts of the distribution transformer and was in the process of removing them to a safe place when members of the local vigilante discovered what was going on and arrested him”, a police officer at the Cameroon Road
Police Station told newsmen but pleaded that his name remains undisclosed because he is not authorized to speak to the media on the issue.
“In fact, people who gathered where he was caught were in the process of lynching him because they consider electricity thieves public enemy number one until some vigilante members telephoned officers of the Geometric Security Service (GSS) which provides security to the electricity distribution company in Aba and environs.
“Francis, who is from Ugep in Cross River State, is lucky that the security men from GSS were led by Mike Osobu, a respected police officer from Cross River State who worked for many years here in Aba and is beloved.
“It is Uncle Mike, as we fondly call him even now that he is out of the police force, who rescued Francis”.
It was revealed that Francis, dismissed from the force about five years ago, was caught wearing a police camouflage meant to deceive unsuspecting persons into believing that he was still in service and was a legitimate duty.
He is believed to be responsible for plunging the Central Police Station (CPS) Barracks in Aba into darkness two months ago by stealing critical components of the 11/500KV transformer supplying light to the area.
Though dismissed for years now, Francis still lives in the barracks because his mother, a serving police officer, lives in the quarters there.
“Francis should not have been in the police force in the first instance because he has always been a complicated person, according to an intelligence officer who expressed surprise that he could find a place in the force.
“Even as a child he was known as an artful dodger in recognition of his stealing capabilities”, said the intelligence officer who refused to disclose his name because of his personal relationship with Francis.
His wife, it was learnt, left him on discovering his shady character, abandoning their only child, a boy, with him.
Francis was scheduled to be in court yesterday, but the arraignment was postponed to enable the police to get more witnesses.
Meanwhile, the new Abia State Commissioner of Police, Kenechukwu Onwuemelie, is reported to be dismayed that a former policeman could engage in the cannibalisation of critical public infrastructure, an act he considered unconscionable and injurious to the police reputation.
He has personally been in touch with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the station where Francis was arrested and the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) to ensure swift and successful prosecution of the dismissed officer to serve as a deterrent to other criminals
