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Jackson Ekow, a 41-year-old electrician and subcontractor for the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), has been arrested by the New Weija Police Command for aiding an individual to illegally connect electricity to a property. The illicit activity resulted in the theft of power valued at GH¢156,000.
Ekow was arraigned before the Weija Circuit Court, presided over by Mr. Joshua Caleb Abaidoo, where he was charged with stealing electricity and tampering with ECG’s distribution meters. The court granted him bail of GH¢12,000, with the case set to resume on December 24.
Chief Inspector Joseph Barabu, the investigating officer, revealed that the second accused, who is currently at large, acted as the caretaker of a four-bedroom storey building in Accra’s ‘cassava farm’ area.
- In December 2022, ECG’s Bortianor District Office discovered that the caretaker had connected electricity to the apartment without installing meters.
- The ECG field monitoring team confirmed the illegal connection and disconnected the power.
- Despite being invited to the ECG office to resolve the issue, the caretaker instead enlisted Ekow’s services to restore power illegally.
Dr. Mark Owusu Ansah, Revenue Protection Manager for ECG’s Accra West Region, warned the public against employing unauthorized individuals to work within the ECG power distribution system.
“We have intensified our physical presence in communities through field monitoring and employed technology to detect illegal connections. Arrested customers will be surcharged for illegally used power and face criminal prosecution,” Dr. Ansah stated.
The ECG Accra West Region, which includes operational districts such as Ablekuma, Achimota, Amasaman, Bortianor, Dansoman, Kaneshie, Korle-Bu, and Nsawam, has stepped up its efforts to combat illegal power usage.
The case serves as a reminder of the consequences of unauthorized tampering with electricity systems, as ECG intensifies its crackdown on power theft.
