The Nation Newspaper

Tag: vandal

  • Cable vandal bags five-year jail term

    Efforts by the Benin Electricity Distribution Plc (BEDC) to tackle electricity equipment vandalism have yielded result as a cable vandal has been sentenced to five years imprisonment with hard labour, without option of fine by a Magistrate’s Court in Iguobazuwa, Edo State.

    The convict, Abdullai Usman, male, aged 27 years, was caught on September 28, 2017, at Iguobazuwa trying to cart away vandalised conductor cables from Iguobazuwa/Okada 33KV Line, an act punishable under the Miscellaneous Offences Act M17 Vol 9 laws of the country.

    He was dragged before the Presiding Magistrate Joyce .O. Ejale (Mrs) where he pleaded guilty to a three-count charge of conspiracy, stealing and malicious damage, though the terms will run concurrently.

    This conviction has further strengthened the BEDC’s commitment at fighting vandalism, energy theft and meter bypass, as the electricity supply industry grapples with other challenges.

  • Minister to IG: unmask vandals of public facilities

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration has appealed to the police high command to step up surveillance on the increasing activities of vandals in the Federal Capital City and arrest those involved.

    FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello made the appeal while receiving the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase who paid him a working visit in his office at Area 11, Garki I District, Abuja.

    The Minister specifically requested the police to apprehend those removing such vital equipments as electrical and telecommunication cables, manhole covers as well as railway tracks that are still under construction.

    According to a statement issued by Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, the minister warned that security agents have to frontally tackle all those engaged in these nefarious activities, which has the potentials of graduating into big time criminals if they are not adequately checked.

    His words: “What is more disturbing now is that even the urban railway system that is under construction, vandals have started vandalizing the tracks by removing vital equipments. Of course, the issue of the manhole covers is well known. Each manhole is probably about four meters deep and when you leave it open, it’s very dangerous”.

    According to him, “even though these might not appear to be very serious crimes compared to armed robbery and kidnapping, they are still crimes because those that do these minor criminal activities eventually graduate to become big time criminals”.

    He charged the Inspector-General to also unmask those patronizing these vandals to put an end to the illicit trade; stressing, “we need to identify who those vandals are and the markets where they take these items for sale”.

    “We need to make examples with some people; or else, government will continue to invest a lot of resources on key infrastructure and people will just vandalize and sale them for a fraction of the cost,” the Minister added.

    Malam Bello used the occasion appreciate the existing cordial relationship that exists between the FCTA and the Nigeria Police which he noted has made his job and the security of Abuja a lot easier.

    The Minister pledged that the FCT Administration would continue to support the security agencies to do their job of making Abuja a very secure city.

    The Minister however frowned at the scenario where some Abuja motorists flout basic traffic rules; describing it is disheartening to see that up till now, some road users in Abuja still do not like to obey traffic signs.

    Earlier in his remark, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase appreciated the logistic support of the FCTA and called for more assistance in terms vehicles to the FCT Police Command to boost their surveillance activities.

    The Police boss revealed that he has deployed horses to strategic areas like the Federal Secretariat to beef up security activities; remarking that the Police Force would do everything possible within its powers to keep Abuja safe.

    Mr. Arase further solicited the support of the FCT Administration to provide FCT a befitting Police Headquarters that will give the ambience the Federal Capital Territory truly deserves.

    The FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye and some other senior officials of the FCT Administration joined the Minister to receive the Inspector-General Police.

     

  • Police arrest ‘pipeline vandal’

    The police yesterday arrested a suspected pipeline vandal and seized a petrol tanker conveying 13, 800 litres of diesel in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Ebere Amaraizu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu that the suspect was arrested after a tip-off.

    According to him, the police also recovered pipeline drilling equipment, two pumping machines, pipeline sealants, a generating set and spanners.

    “The suspect, with others now at large, allegedly stormed Umurah Ndeaboh bush on December 31 at midnight in Aninri Local Government Area with their pipeline drilling equipment.”

    He said the police would arrest other suspects and prosecute them.

  • I was framed up, says alleged vandal

    The police and a suspected pipeline vandal yesterday in Lagos engaged in verbal warfare.

    The suspect, Olusegun Ikusika, accused the police of aiding vandalism and protecting the real suspects.

    Ikusika, who claimed he was framed up, was paraded with Wilson Udoma, at the Police Command Headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos. They were arrested for alleged pipeline vandalism by policemen in Area ‘E’, FESTAC Town.

    Ikusika, a fisherman, told The Nation that he was fishing on the night of February 13 “when a man popularly known as Apshe flashed me with his torch light and asked me to come over and assist him.

    “We all know the man as a member of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) and not a vandal. Therefore, when he called me, I did not hesitate. I anchored my boat and went to meet him where he was.

    “Apshe was not alone. He was with some policemen and some boys too. With them were plenty 50-litre jerry cans. He asked me to assist him to load them into a vehicle. He promised to pay me N20,000 after the job.

    “I accepted to do it because of the presence of the policemen, but as I was loading with the other boys, there were gun shots and everybody started running. I was confused and did not know what exactly to do and that was how I was arrested by the same policemen.”

    The 41-year-old man said he was shocked when the same policemen who were with Apshe arrested him.

    “I asked them what my offence was and they said I was a vandal. God knows that I have never engaged in that kind of thing in my life. I went there because of Apshe and the policemen that I saw there, I did not know that I was being framed,” he said.

    Udoma, a sand digger, confessed to the crime. He said he was contracted to assist the vandals ferry their loot across the creek for N100 per jerry can.

    The Police insisted that they recovered 120 50-litre jerry cans filled with petrol from the suspects.

    The Commissioner of Police, Mr Umar Manko, denied Ikusika’s allegation, warning that any policeman caught protecting vandals would be dealt with.