The Federal Capital Territory Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested 14 suspected vandals and illegal miners during Sallah patrols and surveillance operations conducted across Abuja.
The arrests were made during a series of operations carried out by personnel deployed on round-the-clock patrol and surveillance duties in line with the directive of the FCT Commandant, Olusola Odumosu, to safeguard critical national assets and infrastructure within the territory.
Among those arrested were Samson Anyide, 30, from Osogbo Local Government Area of Osun State, and Suleiman Ibrahim, 27, from Ungogo Local Government Area of Kano State. The duo were apprehended along the Utako–Jabi Road while allegedly vandalising crash barriers.
Another suspect, Abubakar Isija, 22, from Katsina State, was arrested in Zone 3, Abuja, for allegedly excavating armoured cables from the ground. Security operatives recovered a digger and a saw from him during the operation.
Similarly, Shaibu Yusuf, 22, from Funtua in Katsina State, was arrested at GSM Village in Zone 1, Abuja, for allegedly digging up armoured cables.
The four suspects have been transferred to the command’s Intelligence and Investigation Unit for further investigation and possible prosecution.
The command also arrested 10 suspects in connection with alleged illegal mining activities around Gwagwalada Area Council.
Those arrested include Amina Cecilia, 35, from Wuna Village; Ibrahim Aisha, 40, from Dukpa Village; Shuaibu Zainab, 50, from Wuna Village; Magaji Tijani, 17, from Garko Village in Garko Local Government Area of Kano State; and Wambe Faith, 14, from Ekwa Village, all within Gwagwalada Area Council.
Others are Sule Maridia, 17, from Gwagwalada; Terga Wisdom, 15, from Tarka Village in Tarka Local Government Area of Benue State; Ibrahim Hauwa, 12, from Dukpa Village, Gwagwalada; Yakubu Rashidat, 18, from Wuna Village, Gwagwalada Area Council; and Umar Seriki Gambo, 24, from Dukpa Village, Gwagwalada Area Council.
Speaking on the arrests, Commandant Odumosu expressed concern over what he described as the continued involvement of some individuals in criminal activities despite ongoing security operations aimed at protecting lives, property and critical infrastructure in the nation’s capital.
He described the alleged activities of the suspects as “unpatriotic acts” and warned that the command would sustain its crackdown on criminal elements operating within the FCT.
Odumosu urged those involved in criminal activities to abandon such acts or face the full weight of the law, adding that the corps had intensified intelligence gathering and surveillance operations across Abuja.
He further disclosed that individuals involved in one-chance robberies, phone theft and bag snatching were being closely monitored by the command’s covert operatives, stressing that security agencies remained committed to sanitising the Federal Capital Territory and protecting residents from criminal activities.
The latest arrests form part of ongoing efforts by the NSCDC to combat vandalism, illegal mining and other crimes that threaten public infrastructure, economic activities and security within the FCT.
