There are some things you never expect to wake up and discover missing, a phone or a shoe, maybe, depending on the enviroment but a whole transformer? Apparently, that is also something we now have to worry about these days. This happened on one of those nights when the rain was coming down heavily. It was around 2 a.m., and I was still awake when I heard a very loud bang somewhere outside. Naturally, I paused for a moment, but it was raining heavily, it was the middle of the night, and in Nigeria, random loud noises are hardly an unusual occurrence, especially when its raining. So, I dismissed it and went back to sleep.
I eventually went to sleep around 3 a.m., only to wake up around 5 a.m. and find the entire area in a state of confusion. The transformer was gone and suddenly, that loud bang from a few hours earlier made a lot more sense. Apparently, a group of thieves had spent the night dismantling and removing parts of the transformer. From what we were told, there were roughly 10 to 12 of them. I honestly don't know what kind of logistics are required to steal a transformer in the middle of the night, but apparently these people had a full operation planned.
The security man at the adjoining house, the building where you can see, had actually noticed what was happening and attempted to come outside, but the thieves threatened to kill him if he came out. He reportedly saw one of them carrying a gun, so understandably, he decided that confronting a group of armed thieves at 2 a.m. was probably not the best career decision. He instead informed his employer, who tried calling everyone he knew in the area and even law enforcement for help. Unfortunately, it was the middle of the night, so almost nobody picked up. By the time people started responding in the morning, the thieves had already left with the parts. Somewhere between ten and twelve people had apparently managed to pull off this entire operation while everyone else was sleeping.
I personally went to the police station and made a statement because, obviously, that is what you are supposed to do when something like this happens but I would be lying if I said I have much confidence that anything will actually come of it. In the meantime, we are apparently expected to figure out our own security arrangements because now that the transformer is gone, we have to worry about preventing the next one from being stolen, that is when we get it. At this point, I am beginning to wonder what exactly is considered safe to leave outside overnight.
Of course, again the biggest problem is that we are now without electricity, with absolutely no idea how long it will take before the transformer is replaced. So a group of people managed to dismantle and steal a massive transformer during a rainy night, threaten a security guard with a gun, leave an entire neighbourhood without electricity, and disappear before anyone could do anything about it. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left asking the most Nigerian question possible so when are the officials going to replace it? I asked the electricity company this question and they couldnt even give an answer, we are in for a perpetual stay in darkness unless of course again we can muster the funds within the neighborhood and buy a new one. If you've ever spent some time wtithout electricity you'd know how incredibly frustrating it can be to stay without it.
