Fifty suspects have been arrested by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command in connection with the alleged lifting and theft of manhole covers in Abuja.
The arrest was made after the team stormed the Kabusa Pantaker Market on Sunday, January 5th, 2025.
According to the command, fifty suspects and twenty-five manhole covers, three vehicles, vandalized solar street lights, galvanized rods used in the construction of flyovers, other tools used in vandalizing these government installations, and several other exhibits were recovered from various panteka hotspots in Kabusa, Garki, Mabushi and Wuse.
A concerned Abuja resident had also raised concerns about the theft of the manhole covers and the danger the incident posed to members of the public.
‘’The command said investigations have revealed that these individuals operate as part of a larger network, selling stolen manhole covers to scrap dealers. ‘’This criminal activity endangers the lives of the general public by creating hazards on roads and walkways while undermining the integrity of public infrastructure” the command said.
The command gave the names of the suspects arrested as Bashir Usman, Shaibu Ibrahim, Sani Isah, Ibrahim Hassan, Mustapha Hassan, Awal Nawan, Umar Aliyu, Auta Umar, Simon Clement, Datti Ibrahim, Mohammed Salim, Ibrahim Ibrahim, Ifeanyi-Chukwu Emmanuel, Abba Ismail, Najib Abdul, Muhammed Lawal, Rabiu Ibrahim, Adamu Suleiman, Abdulkarim Abdullahi and Haruna Nasiru.
Other suspects arrested are Abdul Nai’ja, Josua Steven, Livinus Steven, Ismail Abdullahi, Munir Sada, Ibrahim Yahaya, Yahaya Musa, Dahiru Nasiru, Abdullahi Muhammed, Monday Barnabas, Hamisu Iman, Promise Abanonum, Ehieze Emeka, Ehieze Justice, Mohammed Inusa, Tijanni Suleiman, Promise James, Haruna Auwalu, Ayuba Danjuma, Suleiman Abu, Nafiu Ahmmed, Kamalu Junaidu, Zaradeen Yakubu, Abdulhadi Adam, Mohammed Ibrahim, Chukwu Emmanuel, Douglas Yahaya, Mohammed Lawal, Auwal Musa and Abubakar Kabiru.
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