The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, has arrested six suspects for allegedly vandalising petroleum pipelines and stealing Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in Gwagwalada Area Council of Abuja.
The FCT Commandant of the Corps, Dr Olusola Odumosu, disclosed this while parading the suspects at the vandalised pipeline site in Pagada I, Dobi Ward, Gwagwalada, according to a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Monica Ojobi, on Thursday in Abuja.
Odumosu said the suspects, all males aged between 20 and 32, were apprehended following credible intelligence and a tip-off received by the Command’s Anti-Vandal Squad about suspicious activities around the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) pipelines.
According to him, the operatives caught the suspects while they were scooping and loading PMS into jerrycans and plastic bags from pipelines that had been punctured using drilling machines.
Items recovered from the suspects included two motorcycles, two locally fabricated firearms, four 25-litre jerrycans filled with PMS, two empty jerrycans, a shovel and hand drills.
The commandant revealed that preliminary investigations showed that the suspects had carefully studied the terrain and identified the exact locations of the buried pipelines containing petroleum products.
He further disclosed that an indigene of Pagada I Village had allegedly recruited two of his friends from the Lambata area to participate in the illegal operation.
Odumosu also alleged that three members of a local vigilante group were involved in the crime, providing security cover for the vandals to carry out their activities without interruption.
He said efforts were ongoing to identify and apprehend other members of the criminal syndicate who were still at large.
The commandant added that the Nigeria Petroleum Storage Company had been notified to take the necessary steps to seal the damaged pipelines and prevent further leakage.
Reaffirming the Corps’ commitment to protecting critical national assets, Odumosu warned that the NSCDC would not tolerate pipeline vandalism, petroleum theft or any act of economic sabotage.
He noted that the Corps was also intensifying efforts against the destruction of other public infrastructure, including manhole covers, crash barriers, bridge aluminium, streetlights, armoured cables, transformers and railway sleepers.
According to him, such criminal activities not only undermine the nation’s economy but also contribute to fuel scarcity, environmental pollution and the risk of fire outbreaks, thereby endangering lives and agricultural activities in affected communities.
Odumosu warned that anyone caught vandalising public infrastructure would face the full weight of the law.
He appealed to residents to support security agencies by providing timely and credible information on criminal activities, assuring them that all information received would be treated confidentially.
‘When you see something, say something, and we will do something,’ he said.
Also speaking, the councillor representing Dobi Ward, Gado Shuaibu, commended the NSCDC and members of the community for their efforts in tackling pipeline vandalism.
He urged residents to desist from acts of vandalism, stressing that he would not intervene on behalf of anyone arrested for such offences.
Similarly, the Village Head of Pagada I, Abubakar Ibrahim, pledged the community’s continued cooperation with security agencies to protect public infrastructure and rid the area of criminal activities.