The Ondo State Government has created a special offences court to handle cases of electricity theft, meter bypass, vandalism, and other power-related crimes across the state.
The Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Johnson Alabi, disclosed this on Monday in Akure. He said the court was approved by the Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice Olusegun Odusola, to speed up prosecution of people who break the state’s electricity laws.
Alabi said the government is taking a firm stand against power theft and will no longer tolerate any form of illegal connection or tampering with electricity infrastructure.
He said, “The special offences court is meant to prosecute electricity offenders across the state. It began operations about a week ago and was established by the Chief Judge of Ondo State.”
He added, “We want to appeal to residents and inform them that electricity theft is a criminal offence. Anyone who violates the Ondo State power sector law will be prosecuted.”
Alabi also announced that the state government had purchased 50,000 smart meters for immediate distribution to residents. According to him, the new meters will help reduce electricity crimes, as enforcement and proper metering must work together to maintain a stable power system.
He said, “For this purpose, we have acquired 50,000 meters for immediate deployment and distribution.”
He noted that the smart meters would be monitored remotely from the ministry headquarters, allowing the government to detect meter tampering and illegal connections in real time.
The commissioner also spoke on the growing trend of communities buying their own transformers, poles and other power infrastructure. He described the practice as unusual and said residents should instead use formal channels to report their needs.
He said, “Ordinarily, it is not ideal for consumers to buy electric poles or transformers. It is not normal; it is an aberration.”
Alabi said the state government has supported communities in the past by helping them purchase transformers and install poles and will continue to do so as part of its service to residents, even though power distribution is the responsibility of private electricity companies.
He said, “The government has reiterated its plan to acquire transformers for community service, not because it is strictly our responsibility, but as part of our obligation to the people.”
He urged residents who need electricity infrastructure to write to the Ondo State Electricity Regulatory Bureau, saying the agency will step in where necessary.
