August 2, 2025
By Peter Omopo
The Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) has issued a scathing warning against electricity theft, likening the act of bypassing power meters to a crime more damaging than kidnapping.
In a message posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday, the company, using Pidgin English for broader public reach, said those who bypass electricity connections are worse than kidnappers due to the widespread, daily impact of their actions.
“Person wey dey bypass light, worse pass kidnapper. You go soon understand why,” the message read.
Expanding on the comparison, BEDC explained that while a kidnapper may collect ransom once, electricity thieves place a continuous burden on the system, resulting in unstable power supply, blown transformers, and rising bills for paying customers.
“Na all of us dey pay for one person crime,” BEDC said. “Light go dey trip, transformer go blow, and people go dey complain say BEDC no dey do anything. But na because of that one person wey think say e smart.”
The company stressed that energy theft is not an act of cleverness but of “wickedness,” warning that it undermines efforts to improve power distribution and penalizes honest consumers.
The public appeal urged residents to stop shielding offenders and instead report anyone involved in illegal power connections: “If you know person wey dey do am, talk, report. No cover am.”
The statement is part of BEDC’s wider campaign to combat energy theft and improve electricity supply in its coverage areas, which include Edo, Delta, Ondo, and Ekiti States.
Electricity bypassing—tampering with meters or rerouting connections to avoid billing—is a persistent problem in Nigeria. According to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), such practices significantly reduce revenue for distribution companies, damage infrastructure, and lead to increased tariffs for law-abiding customers.
As power companies across the country struggle to maintain stable electricity supply amid high losses and mounting infrastructure challenges, BEDC’s bold messaging signals a renewed effort to curb one of the most pervasive threats to Nigeria’s energy sector.
