A young man suspected to be attempting to vandalize a public power transformer was electrocuted in the early hours of Thursday, July 25, at 132 Ehi Road in the commercial city of Aba, Abia State. His body was discovered lifeless at the base of the installation, with tools such as a jackknife and pliers still in his grip — pointing to a failed attempt to strip the high-voltage equipment.
Eyewitnesses who gathered at the scene described the incident as a tragic yet familiar occurrence in a city plagued by repeated assaults on public infrastructure. Several residents noted they had previously suffered power outages due to the theft of transformer oil, copper wires, and other components — calling the incident “karma catching up.”
Security personnel from the Abia State Police Command were alerted by a resident, Mr. Okorie Agu, who arrived at the scene around 6 a.m. accompanied by two others. Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Maureen Chinaka, confirmed that operatives were deployed immediately and found the victim already dead upon arrival.
Before the body was removed, officials from Aba Power Limited were called in to ensure safety. The deceased was later taken to the mortuary at St. Anthony’s Hospital, where an autopsy is expected to be carried out as part of the ongoing investigation.
While some community members celebrated the event as “divine justice,” others demanded a full investigation to rule out foul play, questioning whether the man was indeed a thief or possibly a victim of an undisclosed altercation dumped at the site.
Electricity vandalism remains a significant problem in many parts of southeastern Nigeria. According to a 2024 report by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), over 5,000 cases of vandalism were recorded nationwide in the past two years, with Aba ranking among the top 10 hotspots.
The police have urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious movements around utility installations. “This is a wake-up call,” DSP Chinaka said, “for both criminals and communities to understand the deadly risks of tampering with electricity infrastructure.”
