The regional office of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company has urged its customers to form a vigilante group to protect its facilities from vandalism.

Iboro Essienubom, the regional product manager for PHED says 13 transformers were vandalised in one week at Eket and two other areas of Akwa Ibom.

“It is a very big challenge to us, we are calling on our customers to organise vigilantes to watch over transformers in their communities,” Mr Essienubom said.

He added that, in Etinan, four transformers were vandalised; two in Ikot Abasi, and in Eket, seven transformers were vandalise. All of these happened in one week, according to Mr Essienubom.

Disclosing this in an interview with journalists on Saturday, the manager listed other areas as Etinan and Ikot Abasi.

He alleged that the vandalism was being done through a syndicate, and appealed to communities to protect public facilities.

He said that PHED was partnering with affected communities to secure its installations and avoid blackout.

Mr Essienubom also noted that vandalism of transformers meant loss of revenue to the company.

The regional product manager said that Meter Access Provider (MAP) had arrived at Eket and would be metered to customers who earlier paid to the vendor.

(NAN)