By Abasi Ita
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A 30-year-old suspected high tension cable vandal was electrocuted early Thursday while attempting to steal electricity infrastructure near Matrix Filling Station in Calabar.
The deceased, identified as Alkama Mohammed, reportedly suffered fatal electric shock injuries while cutting a high tension cable belonging to the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company. Mohammed, an indigene of Plateau State, was found beneath a concrete electric pole close to an uncompleted building in the area.
Eyewitnesses at the scene observed burns and marks consistent with electrocution on his left wrist and lower abdomen. It is believed he fell from the electric pole after being shocked.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Cross River State Command, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, said the lifeless body was recovered by police operatives following a distress call.
He explained that at about 5:10 am on February 5, 2026, the Divisional Police Officer of the Federal Housing Division received a report of a corpse lying beneath a high tension electric pole at Matrix Filling Station along Murtala Mohammed Highway. Police immediately visited the scene and found the body of an adult male.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Mohammed was electrocuted while vandalising high tension cables. An iron saw blade, suspected to have been used in the act, was recovered beside the remains.
Health workers from the Calabar Municipal Local Government Area were contacted, and all necessary procedures were carried out. Investigation into the incident is ongoing.
The police command has warned the public against vandalism and other criminal acts that endanger lives and public infrastructure.