Thieves vandalise ECG transformer, steal copper wires
Unidentified persons last Friday vandalised and made away with copper windings in a 200kVA transformer belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana Ltd (ECG).
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The 200kVA transformer, which serves residents of Nkumkrom, a community in the Nsawam Adoagyiri municipality, was pushed down from its pole mount, plunging the entire community into darkness.
A 200kVA transformer costs about GH¢ 80,000.00.
The acting General Manager of the Accra West Region, Emmanuel Ankrah, bemoaned the incident and charged communities to be vigilant and report any unusual activities around ECG installations.
"All electrical equipment we have installed in communities are for the benefit of the community, and so we all have to show greater care so that a few miscreants do not deny us of the benefits of these investments," he said.
The company has reported the incident to the police, and investigations are ongoing.
Last year, the ECG announced its commitment to finding the persons responsible for the destruction of some of its transformers serving the Krobo enclave and other areas.
Prosecutions
The ECG has over the years prosecuted persons who were caught tampering with its equipment.
For instance, in October last year, two of the three men arrested for stealing a power transformer belonging to the ECG at Adaklu-Tsrefe in the Volta Region were sentenced to five years imprisonment each by the Ho Circuit Court.
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They are Sitsofe Agbodza, 26, and Deladem Kodzo Tsrakasu, 29, all plumbers.
They both pleaded guilty to the charges of attempted stealing and stealing, and each was sentenced to five years behind bars for each count, with the sentences running concurrently.
The court heard that the accused persons from Tema succeeded in removing the transformer worth GH¢104,000 soon after midnight but were spotted by a hunter who was on his way to the forest.
Again, a 23-year-old man was handed a four-year prison term for stealing and installing prepaid meters belonging to the ECG.
Atta Kakra was reported to have stolen and installed eight prepaid meters for his customers at prices ranging from GH¢250 – GH¢350.
He was found guilty of the crime by the Circuit Court at Swedru in the Central Region.
The eight customers who bought the meters were each fined GH¢2,000 by the court.