Electricity theft and unauthorized power tapping are exposing residents in Gombe to the danger of electrocution.
The practice, known locally as an illegal connection, is prevalent in many densely residential areas of the city. Residents tap electricity covertly, often burying wires underground to avoid detection.
Residents familiar with the process told WikkiTimes that tappers typically collaborate with neighbours who have legitimate connections to pole wires, enabling them to draw power illegally. The residents end up getting electricity at a lower cost.
Sale Adamu, an electrician and resident of Arawa B area in Gombe, confirmed the widespread nature of these connections. He noted they are difficult to detect because wires are carefully hidden underground, usually in house backyards.
Adamu stated that people resort to illegal connections primarily because it’s cheaper, allowing them to evade electricity bills. “It takes only N10,000 on average to do the connection, and they only contribute a token monthly to the house they tapped from,” he explained.
He added that the method is preferred because it moderates voltage. “The copper wires are 2-phase, including a neutral one. It helps to maintain the voltage of the electricity,” Adamu said.
However, the practice carries severe risks. The copper wires, usually enclosed in plastic pipes underground, wear out over time. Adamu explained that heat generated by the wire can damage the plastic, significantly increasing electrocution risk, especially during the rainy season when the ground is wet.
“If the wires spark and someone is nearby, he or she could be electrocuted to death. It is very risky because one cannot even know when the wires are bad,” Adamu cautioned.
The Dangers Are Real.
WikkiTimes reports that recently, 13 people were electrocuted and seven others wounded following the collapse of a high-tension cable in Tudun Wada Pantami in Gombe town. An eyewitness recounted that the electrocution spread to the ground due to underground illegally generated electricity.
Community leader Hassan Garba Bolari explained to the Police earlier in an interview that some victims died because they were barefoot on the electrically charged ground, highlighting the severe consequences of illegal connections in the state.
When contacted, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) Secretary Abdulkadir Yuguda declined comment, stating he is not authorized to grant interviews without commission approval.
However, NERC regulations under the 2005 Electric Power Sector Reform Act provide for up to 3 years imprisonment under the Criminal Code for electricity theft or unauthorized tapping to deter the practice.
Section 96(1) of the Act states: “any person who willfully and unlawfully taps, makes or causes to be made any connection with overhead, underground or – under water lines or cables, or service wires, or service facilities of a licensee so as to abstract or consume or use electricity shall be guilty of an offence under Sections 383 and 400 of the Criminal Code, Sections 286 (2) of the Penal Code and Section 1 of this Regulation, and shall be punishable with terms of imprisonment as applicable, provided under Sections 390 of the Criminal Code, Section 287 of the Penal Code or Section 94 of the EPSR Act.”
Efforts by WikkiTimes to reach the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JED), which manages the distribution in Gombe, for comment were unsuccessful, as several calls placed were not responded to by the time of compiling this report.
