By Isiaka Mustapha, Editor-in-Chief, People’s Security Monitor

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, has paraded four suspects over alleged vandalism, unlawful possession and theft of electrical installation cables in different parts of Abuja.

The suspects were paraded on October 21, 2026, by the FCT Commandant, Olusola Odumosu, PhD, at the command headquarters in Wuse Zone 5, Abuja.According to the command, the arrests followed intelligence led operations and interventions by NSCDC personnel in Abaji, Kubwa and the Wuye axis of the FCT. The operations targeted individuals suspected of vandalising electricity installations and stealing armoured cables from critical national assets and infrastructure.

In the first case, NSCDC Anti Vandal operatives reportedly arrested a 44 year old man, identified as Mammed Nuhu, from Basari Local Government Area of Katsina State, around residential quarters in Abaji Area Council. He was allegedly found in possession of high tension aluminium conductor cables suspected to have been removed from Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) installations.

Preliminary investigations, according to the command, indicated that two other individuals, identified as Saifullah, 33, and Abdulraham, 25, allegedly brought the cables to Nuhu for safekeeping pending their sale to prospective buyers. The two men were reportedly at large at the time of the announcement, while efforts were ongoing to locate and arrest them. Bundles of suspected stolen aluminium conductor cables were recovered during the operation.

In a separate incident, NSCDC operatives attached to the Kubwa Base Station arrested two men, 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, over alleged vandalism and unlawful possession of electrical cables at Government Secondary School, Kubwa.

The command said the arrests were made at about 1 a.m. following reports of suspicious movements around the school’s perimeter fence from commercial motorcycle and tricycle operators in the area. During interrogation, Makama allegedly disclosed that he entered the school through its gate in the evening, cut electrical wires inside the premises and remained there until about midnight. He was reportedly arrested while attempting to escape over the fence with the materials.

The suspect allegedly told investigators that he had contacted Inuwa, who was expected to buy the stolen materials and had reportedly made an advance payment of ₦35,000. The command further stated that both suspects confessed to involvement in the alleged activity and claimed to have been engaged in the business since 2024. Their claims remain subject to further investigation and due legal process.The third case involved the alleged excavation and theft of armoured cables around the Berger Roundabout along the Wuye axis of Abuja. According to the command, personnel from the Critical National Assets and Infrastructure Department were alerted by local vigilantes to suspicious activities at about 10:30 p.m.One suspect, identified as Suleiman Jafaru, was arrested near the roundabout.

Two diggers and armoured cables were reportedly recovered from him. Preliminary investigations allegedly indicated that three individuals were involved in the operation, with two suspected accomplices escaping before they could be apprehended. Their identities and whereabouts were yet to be established.

Odumosu condemned the alleged destruction and theft of electrical installations, warning that such activities threaten public safety, disrupt electricity services and impose additional financial burdens on residents and service providers.He explained that replacing stolen cables and repairing damaged installations consume resources that could otherwise be deployed to improve electricity supply. He also expressed concern over the alleged involvement of buyers and receivers of stolen electrical materials, noting that demand for such items could encourage further vandalism.

The commandant reiterated the FCT Command’s commitment to intelligence led operations, cooperation with relevant stakeholders and the prosecution of suspects found culpable in accordance with the law. He stressed that enforcement efforts would target not only individuals who allegedly remove the cables but also those suspected of knowingly purchasing or receiving stolen materials.

He urged residents, community leaders, commercial motorcycle and tricycle operators, traders, scrap metal dealers and other stakeholders to report suspicious activities around electricity installations to the appropriate authorities.

The NSCDC said public cooperation remained essential to protecting critical national infrastructure and preventing further losses arising from the theft and destruction of electrical installations.The suspects are presumed innocent unless proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.