The Chairman of Ikole Local Government Area, Mr Bayo Omojola, has urged residents to be security conscious and protect electricity transformers in their communities from vandalism.

Omojola gave this advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Ikole-Ekiti.

He said that communities currently enjoying uninterrupted electricity supply were those whose transformers remained in good condition.

“It is important for every resident of Ikole-Ekiti and other communities under the council to take responsibility for protecting their transformers from vandals,” he said.

Omojola warned that vandalised transformers could leave communities in darkness for months, as seen in other areas where residents had to wait for government intervention.

“We have heard of several communities where transformers were vandalised, leaving them without electricity for months until the state government stepped in.

“We do not want to fall victim to such incidents.

“That is why I am urging traditional rulers, chiefs, and youths to be proactive by setting up security measures to protect these installations.

“Government and BEDC alone cannot secure all the transformers for us. Residents must take responsibility to prevent unnecessary power outages,”he said.

Omojola noted that the cost of a transformer and its cables was no less than ₦8 million, meaning any damage would have serious consequences for the affected communities.

He urged members of Landlords’ Associations to take active steps in safeguarding transformers in their neighbourhoods.

He advised that any individual caught attempting to vandalise a transformer should be arrested and handed over to the police for prosecution.