By Seun Ibiyemi
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, has arrested four suspects in three separate cases of alleged electrical cable vandalism, unlawful possession and trafficking of stolen cables across Abuja.
The arrests, which occurred in Abaji, Kubwa and the Wuye axis of the FCT, followed intelligence-led operations targeting the vandalism of Critical National Assets and Infrastructure (CNAI), particularly electricity installations and armoured cables.
The FCT Commandant of the NSCDC, Dr Olusola Odumosu, disclosed this during a press briefing, explaining that the operations were part of renewed efforts to protect critical infrastructure and bring perpetrators of cable theft to justice.
He said the latest arrests followed an earlier operation in which suspected Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) cable vandals were paraded in Kwali Area Council about a week earlier.
According to Odumosu, the Command recovered bundles of high-tension aluminium conductor cables, electrical installation wires, cut power cables, armoured cables and tools allegedly used in the criminal activities.
The Commandant said investigations were ongoing to identify other individuals suspected of participating in the operations, including alleged accomplices and buyers of stolen electrical materials.
In the first case, NSCDC operatives arrested a 44-year-old man, identified as Mammud Nuhu, around the residential quarters in Abaji Area Council over the alleged unlawful possession and storage of high-tension aluminium conductor cables suspected to have been removed from electricity infrastructure.
Odumosu said the suspect, who hails from Basari Local Government Area of Katsina State, was apprehended by an anti-vandal patrol team acting on intelligence and sustained surveillance.
Preliminary investigations reportedly indicated that two other individuals, identified only as Saifullah, 32, and Abdulrahman, 25, allegedly brought the cables to Nuhu for safekeeping pending their sale to prospective buyers.
The two individuals are currently at large, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend them and establish the identities of other persons allegedly connected to the incident.
The recovered exhibit comprised bundles of high-tension aluminium conductor cables suspected to have been vandalised from an AEDC installation in Abaji.
Odumosu said Nuhu was profiled and his statement obtained after the administration of the requisite cautionary words. He was subsequently granted administrative bail to enable him to produce a credible surety, while investigations continue.
In a related development, operatives of the NSCDC Kubwa Base Station arrested two men over the alleged vandalism and unlawful possession 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.
According to the Commandant, the incident occurred at about 1 a.m. on Saturday, October 17, 2026, following reports of suspicious movements around the school’s perimeter fence.
Odumosu said NSCDC operatives responded to the information and apprehended Makama at the scene.
A search reportedly led to the recovery of approximately 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 alleged operation.
Preliminary investigations indicated that Makama allegedly gained access to the school through its gate in the evening, cut electrical wires in the school buildings and remained on the premises until around midnight.
He was reportedly attempting to escape with the materials by climbing the perimeter fence when he was apprehended.
The suspect allegedly told investigators that he had contacted Inuwa, whom the NSCDC described as the intended buyer, and that the latter had made an advance payment of ₦35,000 for the materials.
Odumosu said operatives subsequently contacted the alleged buyer, posing as persons offering the materials for sale. Inuwa allegedly arrived at the designated meeting point and was arrested.
The Commandant said both suspects had reportedly confessed to involvement in the alleged criminal activity and indicated that they had been engaged in the business since 2024.
The allegations remain subject to further investigation and due legal process.
The third case involved the alleged excavation and theft of armoured cables near Berger Roundabout along the Wuye axis of Abuja.
Odumosu said the incident occurred on October 20, 2026, when a member of the Command’s Critical National Assets and Infrastructure Department, while on routine patrol, received information from members of a local vigilante group about suspicious activities in the area.
The information led to the arrest of a 20-year-old man, Suleiman Jafaru, from Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, at about 10:30 p.m.
The NSCDC said the suspect was allegedly removing armoured cables from the roadside when he was apprehended.
Operatives recovered armoured cables and a digger believed to have been used in the operation.
Preliminary investigations suggested that three individuals were allegedly involved in the incident, with two other suspects reportedly escaping before the arrest.
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The identities and whereabouts of the alleged accomplices remain unknown, according to the Command.
Odumosu said Jafaru was interrogated, profiled and his statement obtained after the administration of the requisite cautionary words. He was subsequently granted administrative bail.
The Commandant also disclosed that the suspect alleged he had been assaulted by members of the vigilante group before being handed over to NSCDC operatives.
He said the allegation required appropriate documentation and verification.
Odumosu described the vandalism of electrical installations as an attack on public welfare, safety and economic development, warning that the consequences extend beyond the theft of cables.
He explained that the destruction of electricity infrastructure could disrupt power supply to communities, cause business losses, compromise essential services and increase the cost of maintaining electricity networks.
According to him, small businesses, artisans, healthcare facilities and educational institutions are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of damaged electrical installations.
He added that the cost of replacing stolen cables and repairing damaged infrastructure diverts resources that could otherwise be invested in improving electricity services.
The Commandant also warned that tampering with electrical installations could expose perpetrators and innocent members of the public to electrocution, fires and other potentially fatal hazards.
He expressed concern over the alleged involvement of buyers and receivers of stolen electrical materials, noting that demand for such materials could encourage further vandalism.
“The NSCDC FCT Command will therefore pursue not only those who physically remove these materials but also those who knowingly purchase, receive, conceal or facilitate their sale,” Odumosu said.
The NSCDC FCT Commandant reaffirmed the Corps’ commitment to intelligence-led operations, stronger collaboration with relevant stakeholders and the prosecution of persons found culpable through due process.
He urged residents, community leaders, commercial motorcyclists, tricycle operators, traders and scrap-metal dealers to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities around electricity installations to the appropriate authorities.
Odumosu stressed that protecting critical national assets was a collective responsibility, warning that every incident of cable vandalism could result in business losses, interrupted public services, additional household expenses and reduced economic opportunities.
He said the Command would sustain operations to protect vital infrastructure across the FCT and safeguard the lives and livelihoods of residents.
“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,” he said.
The latest arrests form part of the NSCDC FCT Command’s ongoing efforts to curb the theft and destruction of electricity infrastructure and disrupt the alleged networks involved in the storage, purchase and sale of stolen cables.
