Shop Attendant Arrested For Locking Up ECG Staff

A 24-year-old shop attendant has been arrested by the Police for locking up a monitoring staff of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in her shop.  The staff was part of a team on a monitoring exercise to audit the health of prepaid meters in the area.

The team’s attention was drawn to the shop, which had power reconnected to it without recourse to ECG after it had been disconnected previously for engaging in a meter by-pass.The shop owner, Enoch Kwafo, allegedly ordered [Veronica Ansah] his attendant to lock the ECG staff up while they called a mob to attack him.

The locked-up staff was, however, rescued by colleagues who had visited nearby premises. The case was reported to the police and the attendant was arrested. Dr Mark Owusu Ansah, Accra West Regional Revenue Protection Manager, ECG, said;

 “The customer had reconnected power to his shop on three previous occasions despite a bill slapped on him for engaging in illegal connection.” In an interview, he said the shop owed Gh¢10,517.53. “The customer has not approached us to clear this debt, and keeps reconnecting himself anytime we disconnect him,” Dr Owusu Ansah said.

The Accra West General Manager, ECG, Ebenezer Ghunney expressed concerns over incidents of threats and attacks on staff of the Company while they carried out their legitimate duties. “We are liaising with the security agencies to ensure that our staff work in the best congenial and peaceful atmosphere always,” he said.

 He said the Company would take action against anyone who impeded the work of its field staff. Last year, the Accra West Region recovered GH¢10,363,755 from 1,900 customers who were apprehended for engaging in various forms of illegal connections.

These customers were surcharged for the power they used and some were also tried in court for stealing power. The Accra West Region has eight operational districts. They are Ablekuma, Achimota, Amasaman, Bortianor, Dansoman, Kaneshie, Korlebu and Nsawam.