NSCDC ARRESTS THREE OVER ALLEGED NNPC PIPELINE VANDALISM IN ABUJA
Read Time:2 Minute, 51 Second
By Aishat Momoh. O.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Capital Territory Command, has arrested three suspects over the alleged vandalism of an NNPC petroleum pipeline in Dafa, Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.
The FCT Commandant of the NSCDC, Olusola Odumosu, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing journalists at the corps’ Kwali Divisional Office.
Odumosu said the arrests followed days of intelligence-led surveillance by the command’s tactical team, supported by members of a local vigilante group.
According to him, the command received credible intelligence about suspected vandalism activities along the pipeline Right of Way in the area and commenced surveillance.
He said the suspects initially fled after sighting the operatives, abandoning sections of the pipeline they had allegedly cut.
Odumosu said the suspects returned on September 20, 2026, to retrieve the abandoned pipe sections and load them into a truck.
“NSCDC operatives on surveillance, supported by members of the vigilante group, swiftly moved in and arrested three of the suspects, while some other members of the gang reportedly escaped into the surrounding bush,” he said.
The commandant identified the suspects as Maitama Inuwa, 30; Yahuza Danlami, 32; and Yasir Abdulrahman, 26.
He said Inuwa, an indigene of Rafin Dadi in Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State, was the driver of the truck with registration number MAK 159 XA (Niger), allegedly used to convey the vandalised pipes.
Danlami, from Anguwan Kataf, Mariri, also in Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State, was identified as the truck’s motor boy, while Abdulrahman, from Gajiri Village, Suleja, Niger State, was described as a representative of the alleged buyers of the vandalised pipes.
Odumosu said preliminary investigations had identified four other persons allegedly connected with the operation, adding that they were currently at large.
He said the investigation suggested the possible existence of an organised criminal network involved in vandalising, transporting and allegedly selling components removed from the pipeline Right of Way.
The NSCDC recovered one long commercial truck loaded with allegedly vandalised NNPC petroleum pipes and 17 pieces of the pipes from the scene.
Explaining the alleged modus operandi, Odumosu said the vandals targeted remote and forested areas where petroleum pipelines pass through the FCT.
“These vandals operate in remote and forested areas where petroleum pipelines transit through the FCT. When it is dark, they deliberately dig up and cut these high-pressure pipelines into sizeable pieces for easy loading into their trucks,” he said.
The commandant warned that pipeline vandalism posed serious risks to lives and the environment, in addition to causing economic losses to the country.
“This reckless activity not only causes massive economic losses to the country but also poses an immediate risk of catastrophic explosions and environmental degradation,” he said.
Odumosu said the investigation would be extended to identify the alleged financiers and end-buyers of the vandalised pipeline components.
“The command will work tirelessly to identify the end-buyers, the sponsors bankrolling this sabotage and subsequently enforce the full weight of the Miscellaneous Offences Act,” he said.
He also urged residents living along pipeline corridors to report suspicious activities, including unusual digging and the movement of trucks in remote areas, to the NSCDC.
“Do not shield these economic saboteurs; report any suspicious digging or unusual movement of trucks in remote areas to the NSCDC immediately. When you see something, please say something, and the NSCDC will do something,” Odumosu said.
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