NSCDC Arrests Three Over Alleged NNPC Pipeline Vandalism in Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested three suspects, including a truck driver, over the alleged vandalism of Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) pipelines in Dafa village, Kwali Area Council of Abuja.

The FCT Commandant, Dr Olusola Odumosu, disclosed this on Wednesday while parading the suspects at the NSCDC Kwali Divisional Office.

Odumosu said the arrests followed credible intelligence about suspicious activities along the pipeline right of way in the community. He said the operation was part of the NSCDC’s ongoing crackdown on oil theft, pipeline vandalism and other economic crimes in the FCT, under the directive of Commandant General Ahmed Audi.

According to him, NSCDC operatives launched surveillance after receiving information from a local vigilance group. The suspects allegedly fled when they noticed security personnel, leaving behind sections of pipeline that had already been cut.

Odumosu said the suspects returned on September 20 to load the abandoned pipes into a truck, giving operatives and members of the vigilance group an opportunity to arrest three of them, while other members of the alleged gang escaped into nearby bushes.

The suspects were identified as Maitama Inuwa, 30, from Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State, who allegedly drove the truck; Yahuza Danlami, 32, also from Lere, who reportedly served as the motor boy; and Yasir Abdulrahman, 26, from Suleja, Niger State, who allegedly represented the buyers of the vandalised pipes.

The NSCDC recovered a long commercial truck, with registration number MAK 159 XA (Niger), loaded with vandalised NNPC pipes, as well as 17 pieces of petroleum pipeline said to have been cut from the network.

Odumosu said preliminary investigations indicated that the alleged syndicate operated mainly in remote and forested areas where pipelines pass through the FCT. He said the suspects allegedly dug up and cut high-pressure pipelines into smaller sections at night before transporting them away.

The commandant disclosed that four other suspects had been identified and remained at large, adding that investigations had been expanded to uncover the wider network behind the alleged operation, including those suspected of sponsoring or purchasing the vandalised pipes.

He said the three arrested suspects underwent preliminary investigation and profiling before being granted administrative bail after meeting the required conditions. The command’s Legal Unit is expected to review the case file before further legal action is taken.

Odumosu assured the public that the investigation would be conducted professionally and in accordance with the law. He added that anyone found culpable, including those who participated in or benefited from the alleged vandalism, would face prosecution under applicable laws.