The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested four suspects for the alleged theft and vandalism of electrical cables in Abaji, Kubwa, and Wuye areas of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The FCT Command said the suspects included an alleged receiver of stolen cables and a man accused of agreeing to buy wires stolen from a secondary school in Kubwa.
The FCT Commandant of the NSCDC, Dr Olusola Odumosu, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing journalists on the arrests and recoveries.
He said the incidents involved the alleged possession of high-tension aluminium conductor cables in Abaji, the removal of electrical installation wires from Government Secondary School, Kubwa, and the excavation of armoured cables near Berger Roundabout along the Wuye axis.
The arrests followed intelligence gathering, surveillance and information from community security groups, about a week after the command paraded suspects over the alleged vandalism of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) cables in Kwali Area Council.
In Abaji, NSCDC operatives arrested a 44-year-old man, Mammud Nuhu, around Residential Quarters in the area council.
Odumosu said Nuhu was allegedly found with bundles of high-tension aluminium conductor cables suspected to have been removed from electricity infrastructure.
According to the commandant, preliminary investigations indicated that Nuhu allegedly identified two men, known only as Saifullah, 32, and Abdulrahman, 25, as the people who brought the cables to him for safekeeping pending their sale.
The two men were still at large, while the command said it was working to apprehend them and identify others linked to the incident.
Nuhu’s statement was obtained after he was cautioned, and he was profiled and granted administrative bail to produce a credible surety, Odumosu said.
In a separate incident, NSCDC operatives attached to the Kubwa Base Station arrested two men over the alleged theft of electrical cables at Government Secondary School, Kubwa, popularly known as Black and White Secondary School.
The suspects were identified as Amos Makama, 27, from Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, and Ibrahim Mohammed Maitama Inuwa, 27, from Dala Local Government Area of Kano State.
Odumosu said the incident occurred at about 1 a.m. on Saturday, October 17, following reports of suspicious movements around the school’s perimeter fence by commercial motorcyclists and tricycle operators in the area.
He said operatives responded to the report and arrested Makama at the scene.
Items recovered included about 38 rolls of electrical installation cables, cut pieces of power cables concealed in a large sack, a pair of pliers, a screwdriver and other items suspected to have been used in the operation.
According to Odumosu, preliminary investigations indicated that Makama allegedly confessed to entering the school through its gate in the evening and cutting electrical wires in the school buildings.
He allegedly remained on the premises until about midnight before attempting to escape over the fence with the materials.
Odumosu said Makama identified Inuwa as the intended buyer and alleged that he had received an advance payment of N35,000 for the cables.
The commandant said operatives contacted Inuwa, posing as people offering the materials for sale, and arranged a meeting. Inuwa was arrested when he arrived at the agreed location.
Both suspects allegedly admitted to being involved in the business since 2024, he said, adding that investigations were continuing.
In Wuye, an NSCDC operative on routine patrol received information from a local vigilante group about suspicious activities near Berger Roundabout at about 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 20.
The information led to the arrest of a 20-year-old man, Suleiman Jafaru, from Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, who was allegedly removing armoured cables from the roadside.
Armoured cables and a digger were recovered at the scene, Odumosu said.
He said preliminary investigations suggested that three people were involved in the operation, but two escaped before they could be arrested. The command was working to establish their identities and whereabouts.
Jafaru’s statement was obtained after he was cautioned, and he was profiled and granted administrative bail, according to the commandant.
Odumosu also disclosed that Jafaru alleged he had sustained injuries after being assaulted by members of the vigilante group before being handed over to NSCDC operatives.
He said the allegation required appropriate documentation and verification.
Odumosu said the investigations would also target people suspected of buying, receiving or concealing stolen electrical materials, arguing that the demand for such materials encouraged the theft of public infrastructure.
He said cable vandalism could disrupt electricity supply, cause business losses and increase the cost of repairs, with businesses, healthcare facilities and schools among those exposed to the effects.
The removal of electrical cables could also expose perpetrators and members of the public to electrocution, fires and other potentially fatal hazards, he said.
The command urged residents, community leaders, commercial motorcyclists, tricycle operators, traders and scrap-metal dealers to report suspicious activities around electricity installations.
It said investigations into the three incidents were continuing and that suspects would be dealt with through due process.
“Protecting critical infrastructure is protecting our economy and the future of our people, and we will not rest on our oars until these miscreants are wiped out of the Federal Capital Territory,” said Odumosu.
