By Olasunkanmi Akoni
A grandfather of three and a trained electrician, Oladele Elegbede, 54, weekend, told operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, that he vandalises transformers whenever he is broke.
The RRS operatives of Lagos State Police Command arrested him in Dopemu for stealing transformer cables.
According to Commander of RRS, Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP, Olatunji Disu, Elegbede was caught while vandalising transformer cables in Dopemu at around 4:37a.m.
The suspect had, a week before the incident, stole cables around the transformer throwing the entire community into darkness.
Some of the residents of the area, who followed Elegbede to RRS Headquarters in Alausa, alleged that he was the one responsible for the vandalisation of the transformer cable earlier on Monday.
Elegbede, who was caught with cutting pliers, confessed that he vandalised cables whenever he was broke. He added that he had sold vandalised cables in Railway Crossing more than seven times.
In his confession, he said: “I was arrested around 5a.m. when I went to that transformer to operate. I was there last week. I cut cables whenever I am broke. I have three grandchildren. My wife is dead.
“The last cable I sold weighed one kilogramme and I was paid N1,500. I sold it at Oju-Irin Pen Cinema. The one I just cut can fetch me N1,300.”
According to a scrap metal dealer, who the suspect fingered as his buyer, Abdulsamod Yau, “I have bought cable from him (pointing to Elegbede) like seven times.”
Another suspect caught with stolen cables, Andrew Onoriode, 25, was arrested behind Shoprite, Ikeja, with a freshly-cut armoured cable believed to belong to the Lagos State Ministry of Works.
The cable was said to have been cut from the network supplying powers to some of the buildings around the secretariat.
The two suspects have been transferred to the Lagos State Task Force for prosecution.
The post When I’m broke, I vandalise transformers—Grandfather appeared first on Vanguard News.
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