Members of Amuzukwu Layout by Niger road in Umuahia, Abia State have apprehended a fake official of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), Raymond Enya for defrauding electricity consumers in the area while posing as a genuine staff.
Enya , who claimed to be from Ebonyi State,was nabbed on Thursday after the Chairman of Amuzukwu by Niger road layout in Umuahia, Chief Sunday Ndubuisi Kalu put a call across to office of the EEDC in Umuahia to determine the status of the self-acclaimed EEDC staff.
News Echo was told that genuine staff of EEDC swiftly arrived at the scene of the crime at 73 Amuzukwu layout by Niger road Umuahia while the suspect was still on top of electric pole, allegedly threatening to disconnect some residents for their failure to pay a fresh monetary demands he made. But luck ran out him as he was dragged down by officials of EEDC and given thorough beating before he started confessing his escapades in the past few months.
Enya was later brought to EEDC headquarters in Umuahia where he was paraded at the office of the Chief Security Officer of EEDC before being handed over to the Police for further investigation and prosecution. Recalling his travails in the hands of the suspect, the Chairman of residents Amuzukwu Layout by Niger road in Umuahia, Chief Sunday Ndubuisi Kalu said the suspect had been going round parading himself as a staff of EEDC and in the process, extorting various amounts of money ranging from N15, 000 to N20, 000 and above from different residents each time he came around.
According to Chief Kalu, “This young man has been parading himself to us as a staff of EEDC. He has collected between N15, 000 and N20, 000 from residents of my area, including an official of Immigration and other tenants.” “Recently, he collected N20, 000 from me to buy wire which he claimed is sold at N1, 900 at per yard. Now, he returned and was threatening to disconnect my line again. He was even threatening violence against me when I challenged his suspicious activities.”
“My happiness is that he has been exposed today as a fake EEDC official. He has been extorting huge sum of money from us.” Confessing his crime before being handed over to men of Central Police Station, Umuahia, the fake EEDC man, Raymond Enya said he was a staff of EEDC before he parted ways with them, adding that the experience he gathered while working with EEDC gave him the clue on how to disconnect residents’ electricity, without them suspecting his true identity.
He added that he used the money he collected from Chief Sunday Ndubuisi Kalu to buy expensive Recline Wire which he claimed was used in rectifying their light challenges. Though he confessed his culpability, Enya, claimed that not all accusations against him were true. “Many things he said were true but some are not true,” he said. Confirming the development to News Echo, the Chief Security Officer of EEDC in Umuahia, Nwabueze Ikwulaga said the suspect is a dismissed staff of EEDC who is no longer in the employ. “He is a dismissed staff. He is no longer with us”, said CSO Nwabueze Ikwulaga. Ikwulaga added that the Network Manager of the power distribution company has been notified on the development and advised people to be vigilante, promising that the Police would do the needful.
