- By Halimah Olamide
No fewer than 53 transformers stolen from Kogi state have been intercepted by security personnel.
This was disclosed by Governor Ahmed Ododo while expressing appreciation for the eagle eyed surveillance of the state by security forces.
The Governor commended security agencies in the state in a statement issued in Lokoja by his Media Adviser, Ismaila Isah.
He said that he would intensify the fight against crime in the state.
Ododo also expressed joy that his administration’s renewed efforts at combating crime in the state was already yielding results.
He described the security agencies operating in the state as steadfast in the discharge of their responsibilities.
“The recent interception of 53 electrical transformers meant for electrification projects in different parts of the state is apt and commendable.
“More thrilling is the subsequent arrest of members of a criminal gang responsible for the act as an indication of improvement in the fight against crime in the state.
“The electrical transformers were stolen from the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) facility in the state by the gang of criminals who were arrested in Obajana on their way to Lagos State,” he said.
Ododo said that the 53 electrical transformers, which had now been recovered and kept at an Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) facility in the state, might have stalled their installation and power supply in different communities early in the year.
“The beauty of this breakthrough is that the criminals volunteered useful information that led to the arrest of a fleeing member of the gang in Ilorin, Kwara State, and the alleged receiver of the transformers in Lagos state,” he said.
The governor assured security agencies of his administration’s maximum support to ensure security of the lives and property of residents of the state.