Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps at the Yankaba Eastern Bypass Roundabout in Kano have arrested a suspected Juma’at mosque vandal.

The Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC Kano State Command, Ibrahim Abdullahi, confirmed the arrest in a statement released on Monday.

He said the suspect, Murtala Aliyu Muhd, 35, a resident of Dawakin Dakata quarters in Nassarawa Local Government Area, Kano, was apprehended late at night after gaining entry into the Dakata Juma’at mosque through its window.

“The suspect successfully stole and made away with one of the mosque’s solar energy batteries, which supplies electricity to the worship centre.

“The following day, while attempting to sell the battery at the market, he was intercepted and arrested by personnel of the Corps on security duty at a checkpoint. He failed to provide a satisfactory explanation of where he obtained the battery or was taking it,” the statement said.

It was also noted that the same suspect had recently been accused of stealing over 300,000 Naira from the mosque, an allegation he confessed to.

Similarly, another suspected vandal, 19-year-old Musbahu Sani from Darmanawa quarters in Tarauni Local Government Area, was also apprehended.

According to Abdullahi, Sani was arrested in possession of large armoured cables believed to have been stolen during a vandalism incident.

He said upon interrogation, the suspect admitted to removing the wires from an electricity installation (transformer) at Darmanawa quarters.

“He was taking the cables to market when he was captured by civil defence personnel along Court Road, Gyadi-Gyadi, Kano State,” Abdullahi said.

He added that following the investigation, both suspects would be charged in court for appropriate prosecution.