FCT police arrest eight suspected vandals, recover streetlight poles

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested eight suspected members of a vandalism gang and recovered five stolen streetlight poles in Abuja.

The suspects were arrested by police patrol operatives attached to the Central Police Station during a routine anti-crime operation in the city centre.

The Command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, disclosed this in a statement, saying the arrests were made at about 3am on October 23, 2026.

She identified the suspects as Sani Musa, Ashiru Adamu, Markus Joseph, Suleman Ibrahim, Jamilu Umar, Usman Aliyu, Uzairu Sani and Shafiu Bala.

Adeh said preliminary investigations indicated that the suspects belonged to a criminal gang allegedly involved in the vandalism and theft of public and private infrastructure across the FCT.

She listed the affected areas as the Central Business District, Maitama, Wuse, Garki and Asokoro.

“Following their arrest, five long streetlight poles, cut at their base and suspected to have been stolen, were recovered from them,” she said.

The police spokesperson added that the suspects and recovered exhibits remained in police custody and would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.

The Command urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious persons and activities to the nearest police station.

It also provided the following emergency contact numbers for reporting security concerns: 08032003913 and 08061581938.