16 suspected pipeline vandals arrested

Sixteen suspected pipeline vandals arrested by eagle eyed soldiers at Oguta local council area of Imo State, are now cooling their heels in the state Police Command Headquarters, Owerri. 

The soldiers also recovered and handed over to the police many vandalized pipes, equipment, a Mack truck, an L-300 Mitsubishi bus and a trailer load of 40 feet eight-inch diameter pipes valued at over N5 million.

Disclosing this while parading the suspects in Owerri, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mrs. Joy Elemoko, said that the command arrested three of the six people who allegedly vandalized underground optic cables belonging to Nigerian Telecommunication Limited, NITEL.

“Items recovered from the suspected vandals include a Mercedes Benz truck loaded with optic cables worth about N10 million and a Toyota Corrola car loaded with vandalism equipment,” the PPRO said.

Noting that the police grabbed the NITEL vandals at Enyis/Trinity Road, Oguta, Mrs. Elemoko however gave credit to the army deployed to Agip flow station at Akri, for successfully rounding up the 16 pipeline vandals.

“Our strategic partners in crime fighting, the army, deployed to Agip flow station at Akri, Oguta local government area, arrested 16 suspected pipeline vandals August 18, 2013, and handed them over to the Command for investigation and prosecution,” Elemoko said.

In a similar development, the Command stormed Ihiagwa, Owerri West local council area of the state and arrested six suspected cultists allegedly connected with he shooting and killing of Mbachu Samuel Chigozie, a youth corps member serving in Cross River State.

“The Command is worried that cult activities in tertiary institutions are on the increase after it was brought to very minimal level in the state.

“A yet-to-identified student suspected to be a cultist of a rival group, was shot and wounded. Four suspects are now with us”, the PPRO said.