Thieves have vandalized and stolen vital components from a 500KVA ground-mounted transformer at the Central Business District in Adum near Old Melcom, plunging parts of the area into darkness and disrupting business activities.
The unidentified individuals made away with fuses, cables, distribution pillars, and other essential parts of the transformer, leading to a prolonged power outage that affected thousands of customers in the area.
Speaking on the incident, the Ashanti West Regional Public Relations Officer for the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Benjamin Obeng Antwi, expressed concern over the increasing cases of vandalism targeting ECG installations across the region.
“Recently, there has been a worrying trend of people vandalizing our poles, cables, and transformers, with the latest being this 500KVA transformer at Adum near Old Melcom,” he said. “This is not the first time this has happened. Each time we replace a fuse, these individuals return to steal it again.”
According to him, ECG engineers are working tirelessly to restore power to affected customers, with efforts expected to be completed by close of day on Tuesday.
“We sincerely apologize to all affected customers and businesses. We understand the inconvenience this has caused and assure them that our team is working around the clock to restore supply as soon as possible,” Mr. Antwi added.
The ECG PRO described the development as unfortunate and called on the general public to help safeguard electricity infrastructure within their communities.
“Transformer vandalism directly affects businesses, schools, and even hospitals. Imagine if a hospital in the area was relying on this power supply—patients’ lives could be at risk. The public must help us curb this menace by being vigilant and reporting any suspicious activities around ECG installations,” he urged.
He advised residents to be on the lookout for impostors tampering with ECG installations and outlined ways to identify genuine ECG workers.
“Our engineers always move in teams and are easily identifiable by their overalls, ID cards, and reflectors. If you see a single individual around our installations acting suspiciously, do not hesitate to question them or report to the police,” he cautioned.
ECG has replaced multiple fuses at Adum in recent weeks due to repeated thefts, a situation Mr. Antwi described as unsustainable. He stressed the need for community involvement in protecting ECG’s infrastructure to ensure reliable power supply for all.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
