The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Kogi State said it has taken custody of two men accused of vandalising armoured electricity cables belonging to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) and trading in the stolen materials.
The suspects, Jonah Bako, 30, and Abdullahi Yunusa, 40, were handed over to the NSCDC on Nov. 2 by the Kogi State Vigilante Service (KSVS), which arrested them in Egbe, in the Yagba West Local Government Area of the state, according to a statement issued by the Corps.
The statement was signed by SC Aliyu Abdullahi, Chief Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC Kogi State Command.
They face allegations of criminal conspiracy, vandalism of critical national assets and infrastructure, and receiving stolen property.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Bako vandalised IBEDC’s armoured cables, stripped away the outer covering and extracted the copper wires for sale, the NSCDC said. His arrest followed intelligence supplied by KSVS personnel in Egbe.
Yunusa, who is reportedly based in the state capital, Lokoja, was identified as the buyer of the stolen cables. The Corps said he had travelled to Egbe to purchase the materials from Bako and was apprehended alongside him.
Investigators further found that Yunusa had allegedly bought stolen items from Bako on earlier occasions, which the NSCDC said pointed to a recurring pattern of dealings between the two men.
The statement said both suspects had reportedly confessed to the alleged offences. The Corps said they would be arraigned in court once investigations are concluded. Neither man’s confession has been independently verified, and no lawyer or representative for the suspects was named in the statement.
Kogi State Commandant of the NSCDC, Aletan Olumide Ebenezer, commended the vigilante service for its timely intervention and its cooperation with the Corps in combating crime and protecting critical national infrastructure.
Ebenezer urged young people in the state to pursue lawful means of livelihood and avoid criminal activity, particularly the vandalism of public infrastructure, which he said undermines economic development and disrupts essential services.
He said the command would deepen collaboration with other security agencies and relevant stakeholders to tackle criminality across the state.
The commandant also appealed to members of the public not to buy illegally sourced optic fibre and cables, and to provide credible, actionable information to security agencies. He described the protection of critical national assets as a collective responsibility.
