May 14, 2021
By Mohamed M. Sesay (Lucky)
It is indeed mind-boggling to have heard the Sierra Leone Police naming names of workers within the very radius and circumference of the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority’s (EDSA) office here in Freetown, that are engaged in massive thieving of EDSA’s electrification materials and vandalism of EDSA’S transformers which have actually crumbled the work of EDSA in providing a sustained electricity supply for citizens particularly within the Freetown Municipality. It is equally worth knowing now that the current intermittent electricity supply is actually caused by these saboteurs who have taken a solemn oath to undermine the state in terms of development, and also frustrate the laudable strides of the government in providing an uninterrupted electricity supply.
I am pretty sure that most if not all Sierra Leoneans have been hearing about transformers being vandalized and important components in the transformers such as the copper cables are absconded with overnight. It is sardonic to realize that it is only in Sierra Leone you see people deprive their own very communities, undermine the state and government by extension in a bid to satisfy their socio-economic and political desires. It is an undisputable truism that government is investing a colossal sum of money in a bid to transmogrify sustainable electricity supply within the capital city of Freetown and the provincial district headquarter towns by installing transformers aimed at addressing the dire need of uninterrupted electricity Supply across the country for the greatest good of the greatest number of people.
Therefore, it sounds displeasing to see unpatriotic and unnationalistic EDSA worker who are actually paid by government, undermining the very work they are paid for by stealing materials that generate social amenities for citizens. That well-coordinated action of those bandits mainly within the EDSA can be construed as not only to accrue illicit money, but also a conscious means to sabotage and undermine the praiseworthy move of government aimed at providing an uninterrupted electricity supply for the people in the city and beyond.
Taking into cognizance that theft and sales of transformers and other electricity generated gadgets are now seemed to have phenomenalized among EDSA workers, the Courier commends the Leadership of the Sierra Leone Police, (our force for good) to have swiftly acted on an intelligence regarding the appalling syndrome of theft and sales of transformer panels; theft and sales of EDSA cables; poles and other important electricity generated and supply materials; unauthorized criminal connections of electricity supply to many business entities; and several other malpractices within the EDSA have been unearthed to indeed justify that there are a great number of EDSA workers who are clandestinely undermining the highfalutin gains government is making towards a sustained electrification in the country.
It will amaze you to realize that an investigative team of the Sierra Leone police (our force for good) led by the Director of Crime Services of the Sierra Leone Police AIG Brima Jah, Unearthed a prodigious criminal racketeering at No. 2 Thomson Bay off Wilkinson Road Freetown, regarding theft of electricity generated materials. Guest who was caught with those items? One of the very EDSA workers who is paid from the consolidated revenue fund of government. In a full view of naming and shaming these celebrated bandits undermining government’s effort towards electricity supply, it has been disclosed that Hassan Bapah Conteh is a senior electrician at EDSA and he was one of the EDSA workers that was caught at Thomson Bay. Hassan Bapah Conteh was actually in possession of four bags of assorted electrical materials, five new pre-paid meters, eight old pre-paid meters, three cartons of change-over fuses, three installation bags and assorted line and assorted pin cuts all boldly written on them EDSA properties. Another person that was caught was Samuel Koroma of No. 32 Upper Philip Street Wellington Freetown who is a lines man for EDSA. The police also uncovered 16 mille meters of Copper cables and 25 mille meters of aluminum cables without any reasonable explanation as to how he got those cables. Those cables might be the cables harvested from those vandalized transformers.
In connection to the deep-seated dubious activities among EDSA workers which have negatively impacted the electricity distribution and supply generally within the Freetown Municipality, a total of ten of these saboteurs all working for EDSA have been arrested and are currently under police custody. The list of these shadow brigands working for EDSA is endless. There is another fellow called Abdul Kamara of No.1 Luxson Lane off Kissy Road is also a volunteer staff of EDSA was also arrested in possession of 73 pieces scroll aluminum electrical cables in his abode and he could not give any proper account for it. Francis Bangura is a store keeper of EDSA located at Orugu New Site wherein, his abode was also searched and change-over switch, Pre-Paid Meters key pads, electrical breakers, EDSA printing machine makers (HP), and assorted cables, and a pistol gun were discovered at his abode also. As it stands currently, Francis Bangura is also being investigated for unlawful possession of fire arm at the Criminal Investigation Department.
Christopher Nicol of No. 5 Maya Drive Femi Tunel Goderich is also a store keeper of EDSA and forty-three electrical household fittings in his Residence. These are just few of the many saboteurs within the EDSA who will just pretend that there is some high tension cable or overhead cable problem so that they could have clear way of going at night and do their illegal operations. The alarming disappearance of transformers are mostly caused by these experienced EDSA workers during the night. The truth of these thieving and vandalism on EDSA properties largely orchestrated by workers within the very EDSA is not done for financial gains, but to undermine the government and the state by extension so that they can present the government to the people in a very bad sharp especially in the area of electricity distribution and supply within the city.
The new normal of transformer theft, vandalism and sabotage by EDSA workers needs to be addressed with every momentousness and alacrity by the management of EDSA. The time has really overdue to weed out all those saboteurs within the system who have bend on to smear the good effort of government towards sustainable electrification. Our phones are always full with public notices from EDSA that the transformer in this or that area is down not knowing that the very night witches are within the very EDSA itself. I will end today’s edition by making this clarion call to the management and the Ministry of Energy to engage in structural reorganization of EDSA staffing capacity in order to restore sanity around EDSA workers stealing EDSA’s properties just to barricade sustained electricity supply from the people. I salute the Sierra Leone Police for such timely investigation justifying that, the currently intermittent electricity supply is not by the making of government, but wholly and solely by the action of these EDSA bandits who vandalize transformers just to harvest cooper cable from them.