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.
The arrests followed days of intelligence-led surveillance by the NSCDC tactical team in collaboration with members of a local vigilante group after credible information was received about suspected activities along the pipeline Right of Way.
The FCT NSCDC Commandant, Olusola Odumosu, disclosed this while briefing journalists at the corps’ Kwali Divisional Office.
Odumosu said the suspects had allegedly cut sections of the pipeline before security operatives arrived at the location. According to him, the suspects fled after sighting the operatives and abandoned the severed pipeline components.
He said the surveillance operation continued until September 20, 2026, when the suspects allegedly returned to the area to retrieve the abandoned pipe sections and load them into a commercial truck.
NSCDC operatives, supported by members of the vigilante group, subsequently moved in and arrested three suspects, while other alleged members of the group escaped into the surrounding bush.
The suspects were identified as Maitama Inuwa, 30, a truck driver from Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State; Yahuza Danlami, 32, the truck’s motor boy; and Yasir Abdulrahman, 26, from Niger State, who was described as a representative of the alleged buyers of the vandalised pipes.
The corps said it recovered a commercial truck with registration number MAK 159 XA (Niger) loaded with 17 pieces of vandalised NNPC petroleum pipes.
Odumosu said preliminary investigations had also identified four other individuals allegedly connected to the operation, adding that they remained at large.
The commandant said the investigation indicated the possible existence of an organised criminal network involved in the vandalism, transportation and alleged sale of components removed from petroleum pipelines.
He explained that the suspected vandals targeted remote and forested areas where pipelines pass through the FCT, allegedly digging up and cutting high-pressure pipes into smaller sections for transportation.
Odumosu warned that pipeline vandalism could cause significant economic losses and expose communities to serious safety and environmental risks, including the possibility of explosions.
He said the command would extend its investigation to identify the alleged financiers and end-buyers of the vandalised pipeline components.
The NSCDC also appealed to residents living along pipeline corridors to report suspicious activities, including unusual digging and movement of trucks around remote areas.
