The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr Olusola Odumosu, has said infrastructure vandalism can be curbed by about 70 per cent if authorities impose stricter regulation of scrap markets.
Odumosu, in an interview with THE WHISTLER, described scrap dealers as the main destination for vandalised government property. He called for tougher sanctions against both vandals and operators who buy stolen public assets.
He said investigations by the Corps have consistently traced stolen government cables, manhole covers and other critical infrastructure to scrap markets across the FCT.
“If we are able to solve the problem of this scrap market, we will have solved about 70 per cent of the problem and challenges of vandalism,” he said.
Odumosu said the findings informed a proposal he presented to the FCT Security Council last year, urging the administration to either strictly regulate scrap markets or shut down operators found receiving stolen government property.
According to him, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, subsequently directed security agencies to profile scrap dealers, register market operators and enforce regulations. He added that the minister warned that any market found trading in vandalised public assets would be shut down.
The commandant said the measures have already produced results, with a significant decline in attacks on critical national assets and infrastructure.
He, however, expressed concern over what he described as lenient court penalties for convicted vandals, saying fines ranging from N2,000 to N5,000 or community service do not deter offenders.
According to him, many convicted vandals quickly return to crime because the punishment does not match the gravity of the offence.
Odumosu also disclosed that the Corps recently dismantled a syndicate involved in receiving stolen armoured cables after about three months of intelligence gathering.
He said the operation led to the recovery of large quantities of compressed armoured cables valued at hundreds of millions of naira, exposing what he described as an organised network involving local collaborators and foreign accomplices.
Odumosu appealed to residents to support security agencies by providing timely intelligence, stressing that public cooperation remains indispensable in preventing crime across the nation’s capital.
