Residents of Abuja’s Central Business District, Maitama, Wuse, Garki and Asokoro may have been left exposed to security risks as a gang allegedly responsible for vandalising public infrastructure was busted by the police.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested eight suspected members of the gang and recovered five streetlight poles allegedly cut down and stolen from their locations.
The arrests followed an early-morning patrol by police operatives attached to the Central Police Station in Abuja.
The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, in a statement said the suspects were arrested at about 3am on October 23, 2026, during a routine anti-crime operation in the city centre.
The suspects were identified as Sani Musa, Ashiru Adamu, Markus Joseph, Suleman Ibrahim, Jamilu Umar, Usman Aliyu, Uzairu Sani and Shafiu Bala.
According to the police, preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly belonged to a criminal gang specialising in vandalising and stealing public and private infrastructure across major districts of the nation’s capital.
Five long streetlight poles, which had reportedly been cut at their bases, were recovered during the operation.
The Command said the suspects and recovered exhibits remained in police custody, adding that they would be charged in court after investigations.
The police urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious persons and activities to the nearest police station or through the Command’s emergency lines.
