The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has suspended some of its staff members over alleged involvement in the vandalism of electricity infrastructure in Ikirun, Osun State.
The development came as the company welcomed the arrest of suspects by the Osun State Police Command in connection with the alleged destruction and theft of critical power equipment in the area.
IBEDC’s Coordinating Head, Corporate Services, Angela Olanrewaju, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday and made available to journalists in Ibadan, Oyo State.
According to her, the affected employees were suspended to allow investigations into the alleged misconduct to proceed without interference.
“Staff members implicated in the matter have been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation,” Olanrewaju said.
The company said it was working with the Nigeria Police Force to unravel what happened and ensure that anyone found culpable was held accountable.
Olanrewaju said IBEDC would cooperate fully with the police investigation, stressing that the process must be thorough, transparent and impartial.
She added that the company would also take appropriate disciplinary measures against any employee found to have breached its rules or participated in criminal activities.
IBEDC maintained that it operates a zero-tolerance policy towards vandalism, theft of electricity infrastructure and other forms of unethical conduct.
The electricity distributor warned that attacks on its infrastructure have serious consequences, often leaving communities without power for extended periods while causing financial losses and disrupting services to customers.
According to the company, the growing wave of vandalism has continued to damage critical electricity assets, resulting in prolonged outages and avoidable hardship for electricity consumers.
IBEDC further called on residents, community leaders and other stakeholders to keep watch over electricity installations and quickly report suspicious movements or activities around power facilities.
The company said it remained committed to protecting its infrastructure and ensuring that anyone involved in the vandalism of electricity assets faced the full weight of the law.
