A Nigerian electricity company – Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) – insisted that electricity theft is worse than the crime of kidnapping.
The DisCo disclosed this in a notice conveyed in ‘Pidgin’ English on Friday through its X account.
According to the DisCo, electricity metre bypass or tampering is a grave disservice to the community.
“Person wey dey bypass light, worse pass kidnapper. You will soon understand why,” the disco stated.
BEDC raised concerns amid a surge in electricity theft in its franchise areas in Edo, Delta, Ondo, and Ekiti and the country as a whole.
In February 2025, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission tightened its sanction against energy theft with a N100,000 to N300,000 fine on offenders.