NSCDC NAB THREE SUSPECTS FOR ALLEGED NNPC PIPELINE VANDALISM
Read Time:2 Minute, 16 Second
By ‘Balogun Ibrahim
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Capital Territory Command, has arrested three suspects over the alleged vandalism of an NNPC petroleum pipeline in Dafa, Kwali Area Council, Abuja.
Speaking with journalists at the Kwali Divisional Office on Wednesday, the FCT Commandant, Olusola Odumosu, said the arrests followed days of intelligence-driven surveillance by the command’s tactical team.
Odumosu said the operation was launched after credible intelligence was received about suspected vandalism along the pipeline Right of Way in the area.
According to him, the pipeline, which supplies crude oil and petroleum products to the Kaduna Refinery and NNPC depots across the country, had already been cut before NSCDC operatives arrived at the location.
He explained that the suspects initially fled after sighting security operatives, abandoning the severed pipeline sections at the scene.
However, the suspects reportedly returned several days later to retrieve the abandoned pipes. On September 20, 2026, they allegedly attempted to load the vandalised sections onto a truck when NSCDC operatives, supported by members of a vigilante group, moved in and arrested three of them.
Other members of the alleged gang reportedly escaped into the surrounding bush.
The arrested suspects were identified as Maitama Inuwa, 30, from Rafin Dadi in Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State; Yahuza Danlami, 32, from Anguwan Kataf, Mariri, also in Lere LGA; and Yasir Abdulrahman, 26, from Gajiri Village in Suleja, Niger State.
Inuwa was reportedly the driver of the truck, with registration number MAK 159 XA (Niger), while Danlami was identified as the motor boy and Abdulrahman as a representative of the dealers allegedly involved in the vandalised pipeline components.
The commandant said preliminary investigations had uncovered four other individuals allegedly linked to the operation who are currently at large.
He added that the investigation indicated the possible involvement of an organised criminal network engaged in the vandalism, transportation and illegal sale of components removed from the pipeline Right of Way.
Items recovered from the scene included a commercial truck loaded with vandalised NNPC petroleum pipes and 17 additional pieces of vandalised pipeline sections.
Odumosu said the suspects allegedly target remote and forested areas where pipelines pass through the FCT, cutting the high-pressure pipes into smaller sections at night for easier transportation.
He warned that pipeline vandalism not only causes significant economic losses but also creates serious risks of explosions and environmental damage.
The commandant said the NSCDC would intensify efforts to identify the alleged financiers and end-buyers behind the operation and ensure that those found culpable face the law.
He also urged residents living along pipeline corridors to promptly report suspicious activities, including unusual digging and movements of trucks in remote areas, to security authorities.
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