The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested six suspected petroleum pipeline vandals allegedly caught siphoning Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from vandalised Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) pipelines in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The suspects, all males aged between 20 and 32, were paraded on Thursday at the crime scene in Pagada I, Dobi Ward, Gwagwalada Area Council, where the illegal operation was uncovered.
Addressing journalists, the FCT Commandant of the NSCDC, Dr. Olusola Odumosu, said operatives of the Command’s Anti-Vandal Squad acted on credible intelligence and a tip-off about suspicious activities around the pipeline corridor.
According to him, the suspects were apprehended while allegedly scooping petrol from pipelines they had punctured using drilling equipment and loading the product into jerrycans and plastic bags.
Recovered exhibits included two motorcycles, two locally fabricated firearms, four 25-litre jerrycans containing suspected stolen PMS, two empty jerrycans, a shovel and hand drilling machines used to puncture the pipelines.
Odumosu disclosed that preliminary investigations revealed the suspects had carefully studied the terrain and identified points where underground pipelines contained fuel residue. He added that one of the suspects, an indigene of Pagada I, allegedly recruited two accomplices from the Lambata area to participate in the operation.
He further alleged that three members of a local vigilante group were involved in the crime by providing protection and support for the vandals during the illegal operation.
The commandant said investigations were ongoing to track down other members of the criminal network, while the Nigeria Petroleum Storage Company had been notified to repair and secure the damaged pipelines.
Describing pipeline vandalism as economic sabotage, Odumosu warned that the Corps would not tolerate the destruction of critical national infrastructure.
“We condemn in strong terms any form of vandalism in the FCT, whether it involves petroleum pipelines, manhole covers, crash barriers, bridge aluminium, streetlights, armoured cables, transformers or railway sleepers. These are deliberate acts intended to undermine and cripple the nation’s economy,” he said.
He noted that pipeline vandalism not only contributes to fuel scarcity and environmental degradation but also exposes nearby communities to the risk of devastating fire outbreaks and threatens agricultural activities in affected areas.
The NSCDC boss vowed that anyone found vandalising public assets for personal gain would face the full weight of the law.
Odumosu also appealed to residents and traditional institutions to support security agencies with timely and credible information, assuring that informants’ identities would be protected.
“When you see something, say something, and we will do something,” he said.
Speaking at the event, the Councillor representing Dobi Ward, Gado Shuaibu, commended the NSCDC for its swift response and urged residents to desist from acts of vandalism, warning that he would not intervene on behalf of anyone arrested for such offences.
Similarly, the Village Chief of Pagada I, Abubakar Ibrahim, pledged the community’s continued cooperation with security agencies to protect critical infrastructure and prevent future incidents.
The latest arrests come amid renewed efforts by security agencies to curb pipeline vandalism and the theft of petroleum products, crimes that have continued to undermine Nigeria’s oil sector, threaten public safety and inflict significant economic losses on the country.
