A magistrate court in Ebutte Metta has ordered that the owner of a hotel in Ishashi town be remanded in Ikoyi Prison pending perfection of bail conditions for bypassing a meter issued to them by Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) under the Ojo Business District of the power utility company.

According to a statement released by the EKEDC Chief Spokesperson, Godwin Idemudia, on Friday, the accused, Mr. Ugochukwu Okenwa, was arraigned in court on September 6, 2018 and pleaded not guilty to a 4-count charge of conspiracy to commit felony, unlawful tamper or interference in electricity installations, misdemeanor, and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.

The statement signed by Mr. Idemudia revealed that Pipe View Hotel of No. 6 Ugo Okenwa Street, Unity Estate, Ishashi Lagos, owned by the accused was caught bypassing their meter on November 28, 2017, January 1, 2018 and August 13, 2018. Afterwards, the management of the hotel was billed a sum of N13,508,675.43 being the penalty for the offence but failed to meet up with the payment.

Idemudia explained that Mr. Okenwa was arrested by operatives of the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department (SCIID) Panti on September 5, 2018 after failing to honour several police invitations, before being charged to court the following day. The Magistrate who presided over the case, Mrs. Adedoyin, ordered that the accused be remanded in Ikoyi prison pending the perfection of his bail conditions which include the sum of N500,000 only.

He lamented that the company was losing a great deal of proceeds due to energy theft and stated that he hopes that this incident will serve as a deterrent to others who indulge in such heinous acts.

He also urged customers to assist the company in identifying those that partake in such unlawful activities by making use of the company’s various whistleblowing platforms. These platforms can also be used to report cases of foul play or extortion by unscrupulous elements within the company as it is a safe, secure and confidential means of alerting the company of these unethical activities.