NSCDC foils pipeline vandalism in FCT, arrests three suspects

By Joy Baba-Yesufu

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested three suspected members of a pipeline vandalism syndicate and recovered 17 severed NNPC petroleum pipes in Dafa, Kwali Area Council.

Parading the suspects on Wednesday at the Corps’ Kwali Divisional Office, FCT Commandant Olusola Odumosu revealed that the arrests followed credible intelligence regarding ongoing vandalism along the pipeline Right of Way in the area.

Operatives from the Kwali Division, working alongside local vigilantes, launched a surveillance operation at the location.

According to Odumosu, the suspects initially fled upon sighting security personnel, leaving behind severed pipeline sections.

However, they later returned to load the components into a getaway truck, at which point security forces moved in and apprehended three members of the syndicate.

Other accomplices fled into the surrounding bush, and search efforts remain ongoing.

The arrested suspects were identified as:

Maitama Inuwa (30): Resident of Lere LGA, Kaduna State (alleged driver of the conveyance truck, bearing registration number MAK 159 XA Niger),

Yahuza Danlami (32)- resident of Lere LGA, Kaduna State (alleged motor boy), and

Yasir Abdulrahman (26)- resident of Suleja, Niger State (alleged buyer’s representative).

Recovered items include one commercial truck and 17 pieces of severed petroleum pipelines.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the syndicate targeted remote, forested pipeline corridors within the FCT, digging up and cutting pipes into transportable lengths.

Odumosu noted that four additional accomplices have been identified and remain at large, adding that investigations are being expanded to dismantle the broader network involved in the theft, transport, and illicit sale of the critical infrastructure.

The Commandant emphasized that such acts inflict significant economic losses while exposing surrounding communities to severe safety hazards, including potential explosions and environmental destruction.