The Police in the Federal Capital Territory on Monday, January 6, 2025, said it had arrested suspected manholes thieves operating within Nigeria’s capital city.
The FCT police command said fifty suspects were arrested when operatives stormed the Kabusa Pantaker Market on Sunday.
Twenty-five manhole covers, three vehicles and vandalised solar street lights were recovered by the operatives during the raid.
Also, galvanised rods used in the construction of flyovers and some other items were recovered by the police operatives from some hot spots in Kabusa, Garki, Mabushi and Wuse areas of the nation’s capital.
The FCT command said its investigations show that the suspects function as a group of a larger network that specialises in stealing and selling manhole covers to scrap dealers in the city.
“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 FCT police command said.
The command gave the names of the suspects arrested as Simon Clement, Datti Ibrahim, Mohammed Salim, Ibrahim Ibrahim, Ifeanyi-Chukwu Emmanuel, Abba Ismail, Najib Abdul, Muhammed Lawal, Rabiu Ibrahim, Adamu Suleiman, Abdulkarim Abdullahi, Haruna Nasiru, 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 and Ehieze Emeka,
Other suspects arrested are Bashir Usman, Shaibu Ibrahim, Sani Isah, Ibrahim Hassan, Mustapha Hassan, Awal Nawan, Umar Aliyu, Auta Umar, 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.
