An attempt to steal electrical cables from a critical power facility in one of Lagos State’s housing estates ended in fiery tragedy, as a suspected thief was electrocuted in the act.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday morning at the Lateef Kayode Jakande (LKJ) Gardens in Igando, where two intruders identified as Sadiq Danjuma and his accomplice, known simply as ‘Yahoo’ breached the estate by scaling the fence along the LASU-Iba Expressway around 2:00 a.m.
The duo targeted underground power cables and began cutting through the high-voltage lines. But the heist took a deadly turn when Danjuma entered the Injection Sub-Station (ISS) within the estate.
He was met with a devastating electrical shock that left his body scorched and riddled with burns.
His partner in crime fled the scene immediately, vanishing into the night.
Danjuma pleaded with security operatives comprising officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Mountain Troops, promising to confess everything if only he could be given medical help.
Between cries of pain, he revealed the entire operation had been orchestrated by a cable theft syndicate.
“I came from Igando, Yahoo came from Oko Filling,” Danjuma confessed, adding: “Our boss gave me N5,000 upfront for this job and promised the balance after we delivered.”
He also admitted it wasn’t their first hit at the LKJ facility.
In a previous raid, they had allegedly sold stolen cables to a scrap dealer named Akanji at N10,000 per kilogram. This time, the loot was meant for a dealer known as Seriki.
Controversy erupted within the estate as residents of LKJ Gardens expressed outrage at what they described as a lackadaisical response from the Lagos State Command of the NSCDC.
Estate Chairman, Olajide Andu criticized the agency for failing to swiftly hand over the injured suspect, insisting that authorities seemed more concerned with his treatment than with immediate justice.
Andu said: “After treating him, we took him from Igando to corps State Command at Alausa, but we were surprised by their action. We were told to take him to hospital to get a medical report. This infuriated many residents, who lamented that it should be the duty of the NSCDC.
“We have arrested a cable thief and treated him as demanded. We were surprised the State Command of the NSCDC is asking us to take back to hospital again for a medical report around 5pm.
“Our men moved from there to a clinic inside the Alausa secretariat, but we were referred to General Hospital, Igando and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja.
“As of 8pm, we are still with the suspect driving back to Igando from Alausa. What if his gang members had regrouped and attacked us on the way? We are highly disappointed in the manner the NSCDC went about their duty.
“Their action didn’t encourage victims of these evil guys to want to hand over whoever arrested to them. It seems they are encouraging jungle justice with their behaviour.”
The LKJ residents called on the national body of the NSCDC to probe the actions of the Lagos State Command.
