The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Capital Territory Command, has arrested three suspects over the alleged vandalism and attempted removal of NNPC petroleum pipeline components in Dafa, Kwali Area Council of Abuja.
The suspects were arrested on September 20, 2026, while allegedly attempting to load 17 pieces of vandalised petroleum pipes into a truck.
The FCT Commandant of the NSCDC, Olusola Odumosu, disclosed this on Wednesday during a press briefing at the Corps’ Kwali Divisional Office.
Odumosu said the suspects were intercepted after the Corps received intelligence from a vigilante group working with its operatives, who had been monitoring the pipeline Right of Way (ROW).
According to him, the suspects initially fled after sighting security operatives, abandoning the severed pipeline components at the scene.
He said they later returned with a truck to evacuate the pipes, leading to the arrest of three suspects, while others escaped into the bush.
The suspects were identified as Maitama Inuwa, 30, from Rafin Dadi, Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State; Yahuza Danlami, 32, from Anguwan Kataf, Mariri, Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State; and Yasir Abdulrahman, 26, from Gajiri Village, Suleja, Niger State.
Odumosu said Inuwa was the driver of the truck, with registration number MAK 159 XA (Niger), used to convey the pipes, while Danlami was the motor boy and Abdulrahman was allegedly a representative of dealers in the vandalised materials.
He said preliminary investigation had identified four other individuals allegedly linked to the operation who are still at large.
According to Odumosu, the investigation indicated that the suspects may be part of an organised network involved in vandalising, transporting and selling components removed from the pipeline Right of Way.
He said investigators were working to identify other people allegedly involved, including those who may have bought the vandalised materials and those who financed the operation.
Odumosu said the pipelines were originally constructed to supply crude oil and other petroleum products to the Kaduna Refinery and distribute products to NNPC depots across the country.
He said the suspects allegedly operated in remote and forested areas where petroleum pipelines pass through the FCT, digging up and cutting the pipelines into smaller sections for transportation.
The Commandant said the arrested suspects had undergone preliminary investigation and profiling and were granted administrative bail after meeting stipulated conditions.
He said the NSCDC Legal Unit would review the case file for appropriate legal action under extant laws.
The NSCDC said it recovered one commercial truck loaded with the vandalised pipes and 17 pieces of the alleged vandalised NNPC petroleum pipes.
