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The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Plc (PHED), has slammed a fine of N6.7 million on Oxygen Holiday Resort located at Akpajo by Eleme junction, Port Harcourt, Rivers state, Nigeria over alleged illegal connection.
The Disco whose energy was being tampered with, is said to have acted in compliance with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission Order/Regulations on Unauthorized Access, Meter Tampering and bypass, 2017 made pursuant to the Electric Power Sector Reform Act 2005.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Lucius Nwosu, SAN, is said to have been involved in the alleged energy illegal connection, and this has since resulted in the disconnection of power to the Resort.
To this end, PHED placed a penalty charge of N6,773,935.90 on the account of the hospitality business going concerns, before reconnection could be made to the Resort.
According to information, the resort is owned and managed by Lucius E. Nwosu, SAN who bypassed its prepaid meter to connect directly to the power source, thereby consuming energy at no cost.
The energy bypass is said to have been discovered during a routine cash drive exercise to the vicinity of the resort by officials of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Plc sometime in October 2020.
In the course of the visit à mind bugging discovery to the effect that the energy bypass was colossal having been perpetrated for a period of almost 30 months cumulatively by means of a prepaid meter bypass, direct connection and negative cost.
This online news medium learnt that upon further investigation, it was discovered that aside from owning and managing the Resort, the prepaid meter in question was also registered in the name of Lucius Nwosu, SAN.
Meanwhile, a court case has been instituted by Lucius Nwosu, SAN, challenging the action of the PHED, even as the Disco is also calling for justice on the matter.
All efforts to reach Lucius Nwosu, SAN, to get his reactions has so far proved abortive, as a call put through to the Resort, and answered by a man who gave his name as Mr. Emmanuel Ifie, said he has been inundated with several calls on the matter. Ifie who claimed to run the resort, said there was never any incident of theft of energy at the resort, even as he expressed ignorance of the SAN owning the place.
