More than just a simple fraud, this is a true energy heist. In just three months, over 4 billion Fcfa disappeared from Senelec’s coffers. In just a small sample of neighborhoods in Dakar, the theft reached 13,514,750 kilowatt hours illegally diverted, representing an estimated loss of 2,655,465,195 Fcfa in uncharged energy, as revealed by L’Observateur.
The numbers are staggering. Over 4 billion Fcfa in damages suffered by Senelec, stolen stealthily to the detriment of the national electricity company. A damage described as “temporary” by the report from Senelec’s Legal Services Directorate, given the vast extent of the theft and its still unclear contours. It’s no longer just a simple fraud, but a widespread and systematic energy heist, comparable to a heist of the century. In the Dakar region, in just three months, Senelec’s inspectors uncovered thousands of illegal connections: cables drawn like umbilical cords towards illegality, tampered meters, unauthorized connections… All these invisible hands siphoning off electricity day and night, and consequently, the company’s coffers.
SENELEC, supported by the police, gendarmerie, and bailiffs
Faced with this organized theft, SENELEC decided to launch a counter-offensive. A vast targeted control operation is meticulously prepared to map out this scourge that plagues the national grid. According to L’Observateur, the approach is based on three axes: mapping out the phenomenon on a national scale, identifying and bringing fraudsters to justice, and sequentially assessing the damages suffered. The ultimate goal is clear: restore a better quality of service, reduce fire hazards related to illegal connections, and protect honest users from the risk of electrocution.
The initial act of this crackdown operation was launched in April 2025, with a portion of Dakar chosen as an experimental ground. Under the direct impetus of SENELEC’s General Management, led by Pape Toby Gaye, technical teams, supported by law enforcement and accompanied by bailiffs, deployed a setup worthy of a raid against an organized gang. In just a few days, a dozen localities were thoroughly inspected, from VDN to Alioune Sow and Mixta neighborhoods, passing through Rebeuss, Medina, Grand-Yoff, HLM and Petersen markets, as well as the area of Lac Rose. Everywhere, the hunt for fraudsters revealed the same clandestine methods, as highlighted by L’Observateur.
A total of 322 fraud cases forwarded to judicial authorities
At the end of these surprise raids, technicians exposed an impressive array of schemes: pre-meter connections, “shunts” minimizing recorded consumption, parallel connections in the network, and direct meter manipulation. These operations led to the arrest of hundreds of alleged electricity thieves. 322 individuals were formally charged, spread across various police stations and brigades, including Dieuppeul, Pikine, Grand-Yoff, Parcelles Assainies, Rebeuss, Plateau, Medina, and Ngor, according to L’Observateur.
13,514,750 kilowatt hours stolen, representing 2,655,465,195 Fcfa in uncharged energy
Three months of methodical tracking, from April to July 2025, were enough to reveal the extent of the disaster. In the targeted neighborhoods, 488 cases of fraud were uncovered, with the consolidated financial loss exceeding 4 billion Fcfa. “SENELEC generated electricity, injected it into the grid, but ultimately delivered it without receiving the counterpart,” concludes the report from the Legal Services Directorate, cited by L’Observateur.
