The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has implemented penalties for meter tampering and bypassing starting from January 22, 2025.
This information was shared through the Amended Order concerning Unauthorized Access, Meter Tampering, and By-Pass, which was released by the Commission on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.
NERC stated in the order that “customers who bypass their meters or access them without authorization will be required to pay administrative fees, including the costs for meter replacement and reconnection.”
The Commission additionally mandated that residential customers on a Single Phase who unlawfully access electricity through tampering or bypassing their meter will be reconnected upon settling the administrative fees, including the meter replacement expense, not exceeding N100,000 for the first violation and N150,000 for subsequent violations.
In contrast, three-phase customers will incur charges of N200,000 for the first violation and N300,000 for any further violations.
For Maximum Demand (MD) customers who unlawfully access electricity, the penalty would be 450% of the last recorded consumption for the first offense and 600% for any subsequent offenses.
NERC further clarified that both non-MD and MD customers found guilty of these offenses will be required to pay reconnection fees of N10,000 and N50,000, respectively.
The order specified that if Distribution Companies (DisCos) do not reconnect a customer within 48 hours of payment, they will be obliged to compensate the customer with 100% of daily energy consumption in energy credits, and customers found guilty of unauthorized access must cover the loss of revenue by back-billing at the current tariff.
NERC explained that the amended order, which supersedes Order No. NERC/REG/41/2017, is in line with the Electricity Act 2023 and the Customer Protection Regulations (CRR) 2023, which empower Distribution Companies (DisCos) to disconnect unauthorized connections without prior notice and detail conditions for reconnection.
According to NERC, the new order will aim to minimize unauthorized electricity access, meter tampering, and bypassing, while also establishing clear reconnection protocols to ensure compliance.
