OSOGBO, NIGERIA — The Osun State Police Command has arrested six suspects, including four employees of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, for allegedly vandalising and stealing electricity infrastructure in Ikirun, a crime that has left the town and surrounding communities in prolonged darkness .
The suspects were apprehended early Tuesday morning at Eko-Ende Junction, Ikirun, while allegedly using a cutting machine powered by a generating plant to dismantle a high-tension electricity pole . Police operatives from the Ikirun Division, acting on credible intelligence received at approximately 6:00 a.m., swiftly moved to the scene and caught the suspects red-handed .
The arrested IBEDC personnel were identified as Onabamiji Emmanuel, 55; Bolaji Odusanya, 51; Alimi Akeem, 36; and Balogun Kehinde, 52, who served as a security personnel attached to the company . The two other suspects, Oyewo Hammed, 31, and Oladosu Hammed, 22, are welders who allegedly assisted in the operation . According to the police, the suspects belonged to a syndicate believed to be responsible for the persistent vandalisation and theft of electricity cables and other power infrastructure that has plagued Ikirun in recent months .
Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the arrests and revealed that exhibits recovered from the scene included a cutting machine, a generating plant, and a welding machine allegedly used in the crime . The vandalism of power infrastructure has been a major factor contributing to the total darkness experienced in Ikirun and its environs, highlighting a growing challenge of infrastructure sabotage in Nigeria .
The Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Zungura, has ordered the case to be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for discreet investigation, after which the suspects will be charged to court . The Command has also warned individuals and groups involved in the vandalism, destruction, or theft of public infrastructure to desist from such criminal acts, assuring that it will continue to deploy intelligence and operational resources to detect and apprehend offenders .
The arrest of IBEDC staff allegedly involved in vandalising their employer’s infrastructure has raised serious concerns about insider complicity in the destruction of public utilities . As the case moves to the SCID for further inquiry, the people of Ikirun and surrounding communities await justice and, hopefully, an end to the darkness that has plagued their lives . The police have assured residents that the investigation will be thorough and that all those found culpable will face the full weight of the law .
