Credit: By Sylvester Samba, Global Times
The Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA), on Saturday, 22nd March, 2025, made several arrests at Scan Drive and Signal Hill for what the authority called “meter tampering and direct tapping of electricity lines.”
Meter tampering” and “direct tapping” of electricity lines have negative impacts on the authority’s ability to provide reliable power.
Speaking to the press after the raid in an exclusive interview, the Director of Communications at EDSA, Sahr Nepoh, said that they came out on the streets with a list of customers’ connectivity with regards to the connection running from the poles to the meters and from the meters to their internal wiring.
Sahr Nepoh informed members of the press that they were able to apprehend customers found directly abstracting electricity, which has been an obstacle to the revenue drive of the authority.
He said that there are punishments that they should look at for those who have been apprehended; hence, any customer that is found engaging in any illegal abstraction of electricity, he or she is liable for a conviction of not less than five (5) years or can be fined not less than NLe50,000. He furthered that it is the discretion of the court to decide.
He said that energy being utilized by customers is paid for within a certain period of time. He assured them that this operation is ongoing.
He warned customers that they will ensure that they pay for the electricity consumed. He said that they were very much constrained because certain customers didn’t allow them to enter their premises.
He said that the electricity issue is an issue of national concern and it is only when citizens pay for electricity that they will be able to attain energy sovereignty.
