The Federal Capital Territory FCT Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC has arrested a truck driver and two others over an alleged case of criminal conspiracy and vandalism of Nigerian National Petroleum Company NNPC pipelines at Dafa village in Kwali Area Council, Abuja.
This was disclosed by the FCT Commandant, Dr Olusola Odumosu, on Wednesday in Abuja while parading the suspects at the NSCDC Kwali Divisional Office.
Odumosu said the arrests were made under the direct supervision of the Commandant General of the NSCDC, Prof Ahmed Audi, as part of the Command’s intensified clampdown on economic saboteurs, oil thieves and pipeline vandals within the FCT.
“I have called this briefing to update the public on a major breakthrough achieved by the Command in protecting the nation’s economic arteries,” Odumosu told journalists, describing the operation as the outcome of “intelligence-led operation, active community collaboration, and the tireless dedication of our operatives over the past few days.”
He said credible actionable intelligence on vandalism activities along the pipeline Right of Way (ROW) in the area triggered a prolonged surveillance operation by the Command’s tactical team in Kwali Division, which led to the interception of three suspects said to belong to an organised criminal syndicate linked to the vandalism and attempted removal of NNPC pipeline components around Dafa.
“This successful operation has effectively disrupted a major network responsible for sabotaging the NNPC pipelines which was originally built to supply crude oil and other petroleum products to Kaduna Refinery and distribute same to NNPC depots across the country,” he said.
Narrating how the arrests were made, the Commandant said operatives, acting on intelligence from a vigilance group collaborating with the Command, had earlier monitored the suspects at the location before they fled upon sighting security operatives, abandoning already-severed sections of the pipeline. “However, the monitoring activities paid off on 20th September 2026, when the suspects allegedly returned to the area and attempted to load the abandoned iron pipes into a truck,” Odumosu said.
He added that NSCDC operatives, supported by members of the vigilance group, swiftly moved in and arrested three of the suspects, while other gang members reportedly escaped into the surrounding bushes.
The Commandant identified the arrested suspects as Maitama Inuwa, 30, from Rafin Dadi in Lere Local Government of Kaduna State, described as the driver of the truck with registration number MAK 159 XA (Niger) used in conveying the vandalised pipes; Yahuza Danlami, 32, from Anguwan Kataf, Mariri, also in Lere Local Government of Kaduna State, said to be the motor boy of the truck; and Yasir Abdulrahman, 26, from Gajiri Village, Suleja, Niger State, described as the representative of the vandalised pipe dealers.
Odumosu disclosed that preliminary investigation by the Command’s Intelligence and Investigation department had identified four other individuals allegedly connected with the activities who remain at large, adding that the Command was expanding its investigation to establish the full extent of the criminal enterprise.
On exhibits recovered, the Commandant listed one long commercial truck with registration number MAK 159 XA (Niger), loaded with vandalised NNPC petroleum pipes, and seventeen pieces of vandalised NNPC petroleum pipes seized at the scene.
Explaining the modus operandi of the vandals, Odumosu said the suspects typically operate in remote and forested areas where petroleum pipelines transit through the FCT, digging up and cutting high-pressure pipelines into sizeable pieces under cover of darkness for easy loading into trucks. “This reckless activity does not only cause massive economic losses to the country but also poses an immediate risk of catastrophic explosions and environmental degradation,” he said.
On the way forward, the Commandant said the arrested suspects had been subjected to preliminary investigation and profiling and had been granted administrative bail after fulfilling stipulated conditions, with the Command’s Legal Unit to review the case file for appropriate legal action.
He added that the Command would work to identify the end-buyers and sponsors bankrolling the sabotage and enforce the full weight of the Miscellaneous Offences Act. “I want to assure the public that the investigation would be conducted professionally, transparently and in accordance with the law, and anyone found to have participated in, facilitated or benefited from the alleged criminal activities shall be prosecuted before a court of competent jurisdiction,” he said.
He described petroleum pipelines as “vital national assets that sustain our collective economy,” warning that vandalising them amounts to “a direct attack on the welfare of every citizen.”
The Commandant urged traditional rulers, community leaders, youths and residents living along pipeline right-of-ways in the FCT to remain vigilant and report suspicious digging or unusual movement of trucks in remote areas to the NSCDC.
