How on earth can one steal electricity right? London train passenger Robin Lee must have asked the same question shortly before he was arrested last week for using a plug socket in a carriage to charge his phone. That’s one of the numerous ways of stealing electricity.

He told Newsbeat: “I got on the train. There was a plughole next to the door. A community support officer said: ‘Do you know you’re stealing electricity? I said something along the lines of, ‘I’m getting off in a minute. This is a crime, you can get arrested. She called to police officers : ‘You need to arrest this man, he stole electricity. They asked me if this was true, and they arrested me for abstracting electricity. The whole thing was ridiculous,” Robin said.

Well, the offence of abstracting of electricity is part of the Theft Act 1968 in England and Wales, and carries a possible prison sentence.

It says: “A person who dishonestly uses without due authority, or dishonestly causes to be wasted or diverted, any electricity shall on conviction on indictment be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.”

Lemme quickly add this. Not sure this kind of law is in Nigeria. But if the police were to arrest and jail people who charge their phones in public places in Nigeria, we would certainly be building storey buildings as prisons. People carry extension boxes around to charge their gadgets, one person can fill up about 5 slots in the box.