The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Niger State Command, says its Anti-Vandal team, while on patrol in Paikoro Local Government Area, intercepted a truck loaded with suspected stolen water pipes. The car was allegedly transporting the pipes from Zamfara to Niger State.
The Commandant of the NSCDC Niger State Command, Adamu Abdullahi Kambra, stated this while presenting the driver and three occupants of the truck to journalists at the NSCDC headquarters in Minna.
Kambra stated that a preliminary investigation has been initiated. It revealed that the truck, which was traveling from Zamfara State, lacked proper documentation. The used water pipes were identified as the property of the Zamfara State Water Board. He emphasised that this incident undermines the government’s efforts to provide essential services and improve the well-being of its citizens, labeling the vandalism of critical infrastructure as a significant act of economic and developmental sabotage.
He further assured the public that the command would conduct a thorough investigation in collaboration with the Zamfara State NSCDC Command to ensure the return of the water pipes to the Zamfara State government and prosecute the offenders.
Kambra reassured the public that the NSCDC remains committed to arresting and prosecuting those involved in such criminal activities. He also pledged to intensify patrols and surveillance to safeguard critical infrastructure. Kambra called on community leaders, residents, and the general public to cooperate with the corps in protecting government property.
Alhaji Mustafa Gidea, the buyer of the water pipes, who hails from Funtua in Katsina State but resides in Minna, explained that he had purchased the water pipes through an auction facilitated by a colleague, who is also a scrap buyer in Funtua. He believed the pipes were acquired legally.
“A document was presented to me as an auction paper from the Zamfara State Water Board, and I was informed that the water pipes were genuine, not illegal. I have submitted the same documents to NSCDC officials,” Mustafa stated
Dominica Nwabufo
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