By Emma Una
CALABAR — An angry mob on Tuesday set ablaze a 22-year-old man suspected of vandalising an electricity transformer in Calabar, Cross River State.
Eyewitnesses said the victim was caught attempting to remove armoured cables and other electrical components from a transformer located on Mayne Avenue by Nyong Edem Street in Calabar South.
“We do not know his name, but those he came with managed to escape before we could apprehend them. He refused to disclose their names and addresses, so he bore the consequences alone,” said Edem Linus, a resident of the area.
Linus lamented the frequent theft of electrical equipment from transformers in the community, noting that the incidents have led to prolonged power outages.
“Businesses and other economic activities have often been disrupted because of these criminal activities. Apart from paying our electricity bills, we are forced to contribute money to replace stolen items, since the power provider, Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED), says it does not replace vandalised or looted materials but only handles technical faults or fire incidents affecting its transformers,” he said.
Another resident, Frank Inyang, said the hardship of living without electricity and repeatedly contributing funds for replacements had become unbearable amid the current economic challenges.
“The burden has pushed residents to keep watch over their transformers, and the vigilance appears to be yielding results,” he added.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, said the body had been evacuated.
According to him, a patrol team from Atakpa Division, during an early morning surveillance operation, received information about the presence of an unidentified male corpse believed to be about 22 years old.
“Preliminary information indicates that the deceased allegedly went with two others to vandalise an electric transformer at an undisclosed location. He was apprehended by a mob, lynched, and set ablaze,” the police spokesperson said.
He added that the police removed the body from the scene, while investigations are ongoing.
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