Nine (9) personnel working for the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority in Lungi, Kaffu Bullom Chiefdom including the General Manager are in police custody helping the Police with circumstances surrounding the arrest of sixteen jerry cans of fuel in a jeep with Registration No. AIE 817 allegedly belonging to a worker at the EDSA Lungi.
The Chairman of the Sierra Leone Airports Authority, Mr. Lebbie told this medium that they have in the past few months envisaged an epileptic power supply at Lungi and despite holding several meetings with the authorities at EDSA, power supply continues to be very deplorable.
He continued that they had tip offs that fuel and transformers are being carted away by officials of EDSA and as a result of this development they recruited youths within the neighborhood to checkmate these reported thieves.
The Chairman added that last Friday one of the boys intercepted a jeep coming from the premises of EDSA Lungi and he alerted the police who in turn arrested the vehicles with the huge quantity of fuel.
Nine personnel working for the authority including the General Manager were quickly whisked off to Port Loko Regional Headquarters for investigation.
Assistant Inspector General of Police, North West Region, J.A. Gbonnoh, stated that he has transferred the investigation to the Criminal Investigations Department due to certain intelligence that the police is receiving concerning the matter.
The state of electricity in Lungi which used to receive un-interrupted electricity during the previous regime is appalling and this could not be unconnected with sabotage as a good number of the transformers are reportedly vandalized.
Electricity supply is now from 9a.m in the morning to 3 a.m in the morning.
The arrest of personnel working for EDSA in fuel theft is said to be a climax in the investigation into the poor state of electricity in the Kaffu Bullom Chiefdom that has the country’s international airport and a gateway to the country.