Over 50 communities in Enugu State and two communities in Ebonyi have been thrown into darkness following the vandalization of the Amechi–Awgu 33KV mainline, which supplies electricity to the affected communities.

Mr Emeka Ezeh, the Head, Corporate Communications of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), made this known in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Enugu.

Ezeh said that the activities of the vandals occurred at Nenwe Junction down to the World University along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State.

The EEDC spokesman said that the vandals removed about 40 spans of aluminium conductors on the line as well as the collapse and damage to 15 High-Tension poles.

He said that about 130 distribution sub-stations (transformers) are affected and cannot supply electricity to customers within these communities.

He noted that this part of the network had been under attack by vandals since January, 2021.

According to him, the present incident reoccurred barely two weeks after the company had spent millions of naira in replacing the vandalised items.

Ezeh said, “This portion of the network was attacked in January, February and twice in April, which has led to the present darkness experienced by electricity customers in these affected communities.

“The entire communities in Aninri Local Government Area; over 50 per cent of communities in Awgu Local Government Area as well as Akaeze and Ishiagu communities under Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi were affected.

“Some of the affected communities included Mgbowo, Ugwuleshi Awgu, Ogwuofia Awgu, Obodo Asaa Awgu, Ogwumabiri Awgu, Obeagu, Nmaku, Mgbidi, Ihe, Okpanku, Mpu, among others.

“As a business, we are concerned about the inconveniences our customers in the affected communities are subjected to, its effect on their businesses and revenue losses we are recording as a service provider’’.

Ezeh said that vandalism of power installations within the EEDC’s network had remained a cog in the wheel of progress of the company.

He noted that “no day passes without an incident of vandalization in one or two locations within the network’’.

“Transformer vandalism is more rampant, but these days, we have cases where some spans of the network are vandalised, keeping hundreds of thousands of customers in darkness.

“I appeal to all electricity customers and the public, especially neighbourhood vigilantes, to help in safeguarding the power installations serving their neighbourhoods,’’ he said.