The High Court of Ebonyi State, sitting in the Afikpo Judicial Division and presided over by Justice Nicholas Nwode, has sentenced four men to seven years in prison for conspiracy, vandalism, and theft.
The convicts — Ikechukwu Esseh, Ikedinachi Uche, Ukpai Godwin, and Uchenna Kalu — were arrested on November 28, 2023, for attacking a 7.5MVA Injection Substation belonging to the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company Plc (EEDC) at Education Board Road, Afikpo, in Afikpo North Local Government Area.
In a statement on Wednesday, EEDC’s Group Head of Corporate Communications, Emeka Ezeh, said Justice Nwode handed down five years’ imprisonment on count one, seven years on count two, and five years on count three — all to run concurrently without the option of a fine.
Ezeh commended the judiciary for the ruling, describing it as a deterrent to others who might consider tampering with electricity infrastructure. He also thanked the General Youth President and the Afikpo Task Force Team for assisting in the arrest, noting it as proof of strong community collaboration in protecting public assets.
He expressed concern over the rising cases of vandalism, which he said had strained the company’s operations and service quality. “We continue to commit scarce resources to restore vandalised equipment — funds that should have been invested in improving service delivery,” Ezeh said.
He urged residents to remain vigilant and help safeguard installations in their communities, warning that vandalism inevitably results in service disruptions and inconvenience.
