Eko Electricity Distribution Company (Eko DisCo) has issued a stern warning to customers against paying individuals or groups for the installation of electricity meters.
The company emphasised that all payments should be made directly through its official and approved channels.
This warning comes in the wake of the arrest and arraignment of Mufutau Olohunkemi Bello, who defrauded a customer in the Ojo Business District of N760,375 under the pretense of selling seven prepaid meters.
Bello was apprehended by the police and charged with impersonation, obtaining money under false pretenses, and stealing.
Read also: Electricity bills: AEDC urges customers to apply for prepaid meters
In a statement, Babatunde Lasaki, Eko DisCo’s general manager of corporate communications, condemned the fraudulent act and advised customers to exercise caution when dealing with individuals offering meter sales.
He urged customers to use the company’s official channels for all transactions, including bill payments and meter inquiries.
Lasaki also highlighted another case involving Ifeanyi Enekwunchi, who was arraigned for tampering with electric wires and illegal reconnection. The company warned customers against engaging in such illegal activities, emphasizing that it will take strict legal action against offenders.
He said, “I would like to appeal to our customers to go through our official and approved channels to pay their bills and payment for meters. If there is any clarification they need from us, they can call our customer service lines, reach us through our social media platforms or physically visit any of our office locations. We are available to answer all their enquiries and assist with their needs.
“Also, there should not be any gratification of any form to our staff as we are all on the payroll of the company to serve and support them.”
Similarly, Lasaki disclosed that one Ifeanyi Enekwunchi was arraigned before the Honourable A. O. Akokhia’s Magistrate Court 1, Iba on a three-count charge of conspiracy to tamper with electric wires belonging to EKEDC, a conduct likely to cause breach of peace and willful and unlawful interference with electric wires by illegal reconnection after being disconnected due to nonpayment.
Read also: FG enters deal to deploy 1.4m smart meters nationwide
Lasaki also advised customers against illegal activities to avoid facing the full extent of the law, saying the EKEDC will not take any act of illegality or unwholesome activities lightly.
He added that customers should utilise all the available mechanisms to seek amicable solutions to their issues instead of resorting to self-help.
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