Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-ete Ibas (left), receiving a souvenir from the Chairman, Beijing Jiany Investment Group, Mr Zhang Ming (middle), during their visit to Naval headquarters in Abuja on Monday . With them is the Manager, Beijing Jiany Investment Group, Mr Li Shuo.

Worried by the persistent
acts of vandalism against its installations, the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) says it is working with the Plateau Government to set up mobile courts to instantly prosecute suspects.
“Vandalism is a very serious crime we should never treat with levity.
Every infrastructure tampered with has a     huge effect on customers of that distribution facility,” JEDC Managing Director, Mohammed Modibbo, said in Jos. He told newsmen that his company had contacted the state high court and lobbied for a special mobile court that would specifically deal with the cases of vandalism and energy theft. “Vandalism causes massive economic losses and the culprits deserve instant justice to avoid delays that could let them off the hook.
“Power supply is very crucial to every nation’s dream to industrialise, so the dangers of vandalism to our economic growth cannot be quantified,” he added.
Modibbo, who did not give further details, decried JEDC’s losses to the activities of such miscreants, challenged members of the public to always be on the lookout for such vandals so as to rid Nigeria of the menace.
He said that he had also discussed with the police and NSCDC in Plateau on the need to also initiate criminal proceedings against” electricity thieves” who by-pass electric service meters installed for them.
“We have quite a lot of cases of by-passing and we have arrested several customers over that.
We have tried to sensitise the customers to avoid stealing electricity and to see that as a criminal offence. “Once you tamper with our installations, you are not only sabotaging the company but depriving genuine customers from enjoying what they paid for.”Such electricity thieves are also depriving the distribution company of revenue and also impacting negatively on the overall electricity value chain.
“What we have resolved to do is to first recover the bills of the electricity the offender has consumed illegally, before prosecuting him for theft and vandalism,” he explained. Modibbo said that electricity meters were “very expensive” and advised customers against by-passing them as such could constitute a “massive set-back” to the system.
The managing director explained that the Federal Government had stepped up efforts toward ensuring stable power supply. He added that vandals and other culprits should not be allowed to deprive Nigerians of the gains from such efforts.