The Ministry of Water and Energy (MINEE), supported by ENEO and law enforcement, has launched a series of crackdowns on electricity fraud in Yaoundé and Douala, revealing clandestine networks of staggering proportions. A single individual, described as a "fraud baron," was powering up to 400 homes through illegal connections.
In Yaoundé, the raids uncovered a variety of sophisticated practices. In the Obili district, more than 17 shops were fraudulently supplied with electricity. At the TKC intersection, at least 30 households were stealing electricity with impunity. In the Nylon Nlongkak district, an underground network allowed a single individual to supply between 300 and 400 homes, thanks to a system of concealed cables. Technicians also discovered tampered meters, parallel lines hidden in walls, and direct connections embedded in breeze blocks. An abandoned subscription with arrears of 500,000 FCFA was even being illegally exploited.
In Douala, the situation is just as worrying. At the Dakar roundabout, a motel customer was fraudulently reconnecting after each power cut. In the Nylon Tergal area, a vast network was dismantled. In the KM5 Tractafric area, an entire building was simultaneously using a legal and a fraudulent power source. Direct tapping on the lines was also neutralized at the New Deido market.
Alongside the dismantling operations, ENEO has undertaken regularization measures, such as at the Groupe Ngadep Holding building in Nkolndongo, where 10 prepaid meters have been installed. MINEE has also conducted awareness campaigns to encourage subscription to compliant subscriptions. "Electricity is not free. Each user must pay for the energy they consume," the ministry said in a statement. These operations aim to combat organized economic crime, which weakens the network and penalizes honest subscribers.
Electricity fraud is not just a financial issue. It endangers the safety of the population, with fire risks linked to illegal installations, and destabilizes the entire national electricity grid.
