Vigilantes arrest 2 scavengers over cable theft

Vigilantes have arrested two scavengers, identified as Naziru Bala and Shuaibu Lawal, over the theft of transformer cables in the Kango community in Kuje Area Council of the FCT. A member of the vigilante group, Joshua Isaac, said the suspects were arrested in the early hours of Monday, around 4:13 am, during a patrol in […]

Vigilantes have arrested two scavengers, identified as Naziru Bala and Shuaibu Lawal, over the theft of transformer cables in the Kango community in Kuje Area Council of the FCT.

A member of the vigilante group, Joshua Isaac, said the suspects were arrested in the early hours of Monday, around 4:13 am, during a patrol in the area.

He said the suspects allegedly vandalized one of the community’s transformers and hid the stolen cables inside a sack.

Isaac explained that the suspects took advantage of a blackout in the community, went behind the transformer, and used a cutter to sever the connected cables.

According to him, after cutting the cables, the suspects went and hid them inside an uncompleted building in the community. 

He said vigilantes on patrol sighted them with a big sack from where the cables were found.

“In fact, upon sighting the vigilantes, one of them attempted to escape until one of the vigilantes pulled the trigger as if he wanted to shoot before he stopped. And in the process of checking the content of the sack, electric cables were discovered,” he said.

Isaac added that the suspects later led the vigilantes to their residence in the neighboring Kuchiakwo area, where some other cables were also recovered.

The vigilante member confirmed that the two suspects confessed to stealing the cables and were later handed over along with the cables to security operatives in Kuje.

A police source at the Kuje division, who preferred anonymity, confirmed the arrest of the two scavengers for the theft of transformer cables saying would be handed over to the FCT Police Command after the conclusion of the investigation.