Telecom Operator Laments Alleged Vandalism

A telecommunication opera
tor, Mr Livingstone Oreye, is seeking for prosecution of five persons, who allegedly vandalised some underground cables belonging to Peace Satellite Communications Ltd., valued at N63.8 million.
Oreye, who is the managing director of the company, made the disclosure to newsmen in Lagos.
He recalled that on July 2, 2016, he received a call that some unknown persons were cutting the company’s underground cables bought from Nexus Kablemetal Nigeria Plc and installed in 2004.
The telecommunication operator said that the suspected copper/scrap dealers had vandalised all the company’s underground cables from Ogba to Omole to Ojodu Berger.
Oreye, who is a legal practitioner, said that he had written a petition to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to investigate the incident presently being handled at the Ojodu Police Station.
In the petition, he explained that despite explanation offered to the suspected copper/scrap dealers that the cables belonged to Peace Global and not NITEL, the suspects broke into the company’s Joint Box (JB), cut over 1,200 petrol jelly-fitted cables at several joints.
Oreye alleged that those who cut the cables were accompanied by military men in OP MESA vehicle, adding that one of his workers was beaten.
“The suspected copper/scrap dealers boasted that they were going to uproot the cables up to our telephone exchange at Plot 171, Obadina St., Omole Phase1. Whereas, the documents they were holding never sold Peace Global Properties to them,’’ he said.
According to the petition, NITEL had never had any telephone exchange in Omole Phase 1.
“On being told that the cables they were cutting were not NITEL’s cables, they should have stopped to get clearance from whosoever sold to them.
“Instead of suspending action, the suspected copper/scrap dealers moved from one joint box to the other, vandalising our cables and putting the cables in big trucks, one of which has vehicle registration number FST 943 XK.
Do anything to the cables yet but did not ask them to bring the cables back to the police station,’’ the telecommunication operator said.