Policeman, 5 others nabbed for vandalising telecom equipment

ADO-EKITI — A Police Corporal and five others have been apprehended by soldiers for alleged vandalising telecommunication equipment.

The suspects were consequently handed over to the state Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC.

According to the statement from the Corps Public Relations Officer, Mr Afolabi Tolulope, in Ado Ekiti, yesterday, the suspects were arrested following a rigorous search for the vandals and they were eventually found inside a tunnel earlier dug with the motive of excavating optic fibre cable belonging to a telecommunication company.

Names of the suspects, according to the statement, are, Corporal Taiwo Nurudeen 32, with service number 44528 serving at Oyo State Police Command, Anichukwe Joe, 30; Chibuire Korie, 36; Friday Olunna, 27; Idongesit Etim, 26 and Nwakwo Stephen, 31.

Items recovered from them included a Nissan Micra car, earth-moving equipment, digger, jack, screw driver, saw, saw blades and a ladder.

The suspects, according to the statement, will soon be charged to court after preliminary investigation might have been concluded by the command, adding that efforts are on to find other possible accomplices within and outside the state.

Meanwhile, the state commandant of NSCDC, Mr Shem Obafaye, has appealed to the general public to give useful information on how to curb and arrest vandals before they do havoc to critical national asset in their domain to the NSCDC.

He appealed to electrical and communications contractors and sellers in the state to desist from buying cables from vandals.

The NSCDC boss lauded the synergy existing between the Army and the corps, which he said had been producing positive results.