A joint National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) and Ghana Police team has arrested two suspects for allegedly stealing fibre optic cables belonging to the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo).
The suspects are 19-year-old Nigerien scrap dealer, Osama Adamu and a Ghanaian cocoa farmer, Simon Kwamena Atta.
They were arrested at Mpeasem in the Jomoro district on Saturday, August 19, 2023.
The team reportedly retrieved some of the GRIDCo cables from the residence of the suspects.
They later led them to a mud house, which served as a warehouse where a bulk of the cables were retrieved.
Meanwhile, all the stolen items are currently in the custody of the Half Assini Police, pending further investigations.
Cable theft has been a major challenge to power suppliers in the country over the years.
It also has negative implications not just for the company but also for customers as it is a contributing factor to numerous power outages.
Despite efforts by GRIDCo and the security services to curb this, the cases keep increasing
Another man, Kofi Oduro, who stole electric cables worth GH¢27,932 from an uncompleted house in Jachie in the Ashanti Region was jailed for 10 years about three months ago.
In July 2023, a suspected thief was electrocuted after he attempted to climb a transformer to steal high-tension cables at Wirenkyiren Amanfrom in the Eastern Region.
In his attempt to steal the cable, the suspect reportedly touched a naked wire which electrocuted him, leading him to fall off the transformer to his death.