Aba, Abia State – A former police sergeant, Francis Williams, aged 29, has been apprehended for vandalizing the electricity infrastructure belonging to Aba Power Ltd, the newest electricity distribution company in Nigeria, serving nine out of 17 local government areas in Abia State.
The arrest took place when Williams was caught in the act of dismantling a 50KV transformer located at National High School, off Port Harcourt Road in Aba, Abia State.
According to a member of the local vigilante group who was present at the scene, “Francis had successfully removed vital and expensive parts of the distribution transformer and was in the process of moving them to a safe place when we discovered what was going on and arrested him.”
Some onlookers were even considering taking matters into their own hands before the vigilante group called the Geometric Security Service (GSS) officers responsible for safeguarding the electricity distribution company in the area. Mike Osobu, a well-regarded former police officer, who now works with the GSS, played a key role in rescuing Francis Williams.
It was revealed that Francis, who had been dismissed from the police force approximately five years ago, was wearing a police camouflage to deceive people into thinking he was still on active duty.
He is also suspected of causing a power outage at the Central Police Station (CPS) Barracks in Aba two months ago by stealing crucial components from the 11/500KV transformer supplying electricity to the area.
Despite his dismissal from the force, Francis continued to reside in the barracks due to his mother’s service as a police officer there.
An intelligence officer, who preferred to remain anonymous due to his personal relationship with Francis, described him as “a complicated individual with a history of stealing, even from a young age.”
Francis’s estranged wife, upon discovering his shady activities, left him, leaving their only child in his care.
Francis was scheduled for a court appearance today, but the arraignment was postponed to allow the police to gather more witnesses.
The Abia State Commissioner of Police, Kenechukwu Onwuemelie, expressed dismay that a former police officer would engage in the vandalism of critical public infrastructure, considering it both unconscionable and damaging to the police’s reputation. He stated, “I have personally 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 other criminals.” GMTNews