Francis Williams was arrested after vandalizing a 50KV transformer at National High School, off Port Harcourt Road in Aba, Abia State.
A dismissed police sergeant has been arrested for vandalizing the electricity infrastructure of Aba Power Ltd, Nigeria’s newest electricity distribution company that provides electricity to nine of the 17 local government areas in Abia State.
Francis Williams was arrested after vandalizing a 50KV transformer at National High School, off Port Harcourt Road in Aba, Abia State.
The source said, “Francis had successfully removed vital and expensive parts of the distribution transformer and was in the process of removing them to a safe place when members of the local vigilante discovered what was going on and arrested him,” a police officer at the Cameroon Road Police Station told journalists.
“In fact, people who gathered where he was caught were in the process of lynching him because they consider electricity thieves public enemy number one until some vigilantes telephoned officers of the Geometric Security Service (GSS) which provides security to the electricity distribution company in Aba and environs.
“Francis, who is from Ugep in Cross River State, is lucky that the security men from GSS were led by Mike Osobu, a respected police officer from Cross River State who worked for many years here in Aba and is beloved.
“It is Uncle Mike, as we fondly call him even now that he is out of the police force, who rescued Francis.”
It was revealed that Francis, dismissed from the force about five years ago, was caught wearing a police camouflage meant to deceive unsuspecting persons into believing that he was still in service and was carrying out a legitimate duty.
He is believed to be responsible for plunging the Central Police Station (CPS) Barracks in Aba into darkness two months ago by stealing critical components of the 11/500KV transformer supplying electricity to the area.
Though dismissed for years now, Francis still lives in the barracks because his mother, a serving police officer, lives in the quarters there, it was learnt.
Francis was scheduled to be in court on Thursday, but the arraignment was postponed to enable the police to get more witnesses.
Meanwhile, the new Abia State Commissioner of Police, Kenechukwu Onwuemelie, is reported to be dismayed that a former policeman could engage in vandalizing critical public infrastructure, an act he considered unconscionable and injurious to the police reputation.
He has reportedly been in touch with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the station where Francis was arrested and the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) to ensure swift and successful prosecution of the dismissed officer to serve as a deterrent to others.