OPERATIVES of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command have arrested fifty suspects in connection with stolen manholes in the nation’s capital.
The arrest was made after the team stormed the Kabusa Pantaker Market on Sunday, 5 January 2025.
Parading the suspects in Abuja on Monday, the Commissioner of Police, Tunji Disu, said no fewer than 25 manhole covers, five solar streetlights, 15 streetlight poles cut into smaller pieces, several galvanized poles used in the construction of flyovers, several rolls of high-voltage AEDC cables, and two locally made pistols were recovered from the suspects.
He added that 13 large solar panels, seven barrels of diesel suspected to have been stolen from network masts, several iron cutting tools, two live cartridges, one sharp knife, 30 tubes of triple-sub glue, several charms, one Volkswagen Sport bus with registration number BJK 592 XA reconstructed into a diesel tanker, one Toyota Carina II vehicle with registration number RBC 312 JL, two reinforced iron doors, and three pumping machines suspected to be used in extracting diesel, among other items, were recovered from the suspects.
Disu said the suspects were part of an organised network that specialises in vandalising public installations and selling them to scrap dealers.
“The diversity and volume of recovered items highlight the extensive and organised nature of these syndicates, whose activities have caused significant harm to public infrastructure projects and services in the FCT.
‘’This criminal activity endangers the lives of the general public by creating hazards on roads and walkways while undermining the integrity of public infrastructure’’ the command said.
The Command gave the names of the suspects arrested as Bashir Usman, Shaibu Ibrahim, Sani Isah, Ibrahim Hassan, Mustapha Hassan, Awal Nawan, Umar Aliyu, Auta Umar, Simon Clement, Datti Ibrahim, Mohammed Salim, Ibrahim Ibrahim, Ifeanyi-Chukwu Emmanuel, Abba Ismail, Najib Abdul, Muhammed Lawal, Rabiu Ibrahim, Adamu Suleiman, Abdulkarim Abdullahi and Haruna Nasiru.
Other suspects arrested are Abdul Nai’ja, Josua Steven, Livinus Steven, Ismail Abdullahi, Munir Sada, Ibrahim Yahaya, Yahaya Musa, Dahiru Nasiru, Abdullahi Muhammed, Monday Barnabas, Hamisu Iman, Promise Abanonum, Ehieze Emeka, Ehieze Justice, Mohammed Inusa, Tijanni Suleiman, Promise James, Haruna Auwalu, Ayuba Danjuma, Suleiman Abu, Nafiu Ahmmed, Kamalu Junaidu, Zaradeen Yakubu, Abdulhadi Adam, Mohammed Ibrahim, Chukwu Emmanuel, Douglas Yahaya, Mohammed Lawal, Auwal Musa and Abubakar Kabiru.
Eighteen-Eleven Media