Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command has charged 16 suspects to court for allegedly vandalising government property and unlawfully possessing stolen items.
Gatekeepers News reports that the suspects appeared before a chief magistrate court in Wuse Zone 6, Abuja, on Wednesday.
Josephine Adeh, FCT police spokesperson in a statement on Friday, said the suspects were arrested during a crackdown on scrap yards.
The spokesperson noted that stolen government assets including manhole covers, armoured cables, and streetlights were recovered through the operation.
The statement reads, “This development follows an intensive crackdown on scrap yards (commonly known as Panteka), culminating in the arrest of multiple suspects and the recovery of substantial quantities of stolen and vandalized government assets, including manhole covers, armoured cables, and streetlights.”
“The suspects arraigned are: Abubakar Adamu, Emmanuel John Eze, Emeka Ezekiel, Ahmad Suleiman, Dennis Chigozie, Ismail Usman, Victor Ezeokoye, Izundu Fidelis, Alex Okechukwu Eddy, Jonathan R. Obi, Simon Samuel, Mubarak Lawal, Okafor Ekene, Usman Lawal, Shuaibu Yahaya and James Edu.”
“The arrests were the result of intelligence-led operations conducted across various locations within the FCT. Upon their arraignment, the suspects entered pleas of ‘not guilty’ and have since been remanded at the Keffi Correctional Centre, pending further proceedings.”
The case was adjourned to January 30 for continued hearing.
