FCT truck driver, two others held for vandalising NNPC pipeline

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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, Abuja.

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The FCT Commandant of the NSCDC, Olusola Odumosu, disclosed this while addressing journalists at the corps’ Kwali Divisional Office on Wednesday.

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Odumosu said the arrests followed days of intelligence-led surveillance by the command’s tactical team, supported by members of a local vigilante group.

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He said operatives had received credible intelligence about suspected vandalism activities along the pipeline Right of Way in the area and subsequently commenced surveillance of the location.

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According to him, the suspects initially fled after sighting the operatives, abandoning sections of the pipeline they had allegedly cut.

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He said the suspects returned to the area on September 20, 2026, to retrieve the abandoned pipe sections and load them into a truck.

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“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,” Odumosu said.

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The commandant identified the suspects as Maitama Inuwa, 30; Yahuza Danlami, 32; and Yasir Abdulrahman, 26.

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He said Inuwa, from Rafin Dadi in the 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.

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Danlami, from Anguwan Kataf, Mariri, 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.

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Odumosu said preliminary investigations had also identified four other persons allegedly connected with the operation, adding that they were currently at large.

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He said the investigation indicated the possible existence of an organised criminal network involved in the vandalism, transportation and alleged illicit sale of components removed from the pipeline right-of-way.

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The NSCDC commandant said operatives recovered one long commercial truck loaded with vandalised NNPC petroleum pipes and 17 pieces of the pipes from the scene.

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Explaining the alleged modus operandi of the suspects, Odumosu said the vandals targeted remote and forested areas where petroleum pipelines pass through the FCT.

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“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.

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He warned that pipeline vandalism posed serious risks to lives and the environment, apart from causing economic losses to the country.

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“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.

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Odumosu said the command would extend its investigation to identify the alleged financiers and end-buyers of the vandalised pipeline components.

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“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.

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He also appealed to residents living along pipeline corridors to report suspicious activities, including unusual digging and movement of trucks in remote areas, to the NSCDC.

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“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,” he said.

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