The recent arrest of 50 suspected vandals of manhole covers and street lights in the Federal Capital Territories (FCT), Abuja, has brought to the fore the rising security challenges in the nation’s sprawling capital city. The suspects were apprehended by the operatives of the FCT Police Command during a targeted operation. While parading the suspects, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Tunji Disu, said dozens of manholes and other public infrastructures stolen by the suspects were equally recovered during the operation.
Some of the recovered items included 25 manhole covers, three vehicles, vandalized street lights, galvanized rods used in the construction of flyovers and other tools used in vandalizing these government installations. The rest included other exhibits at various Pantaker hotspots in Kabusa, Garki, Mabushi and Wuse. The FCT Police boss also said “investigations have revealed that these individuals operate as part of a larger network, selling stolen manhole covers to scrap dealers. The criminal activity endangers the lives of the general public by creating hazards on roads and walkways while undermining the integrity of public infrastructure.”
These criminals have also reportedly vandalized public infrastructure such as solar panels, road dividers, bridge reinforcement, iron rods, railway installation, telecommunication masts, manhole covers and transformers. In fact, they vandalize anything they can sell and get money.
Not quite long ago, the FCT Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) arrested about 250 suspected vandals of public infrastructure, including manhole covers and street lights.
According to the Commandant of the NSCDC, FCT Command, Olusola Odumosu, “essential infrastructure, including major bridges, armoured cables, manhole covers, railway cables, and streetlights are under siege, with these stolen items turning up in the unregulated Pantaker markets.”
We commend the FCT Police Command for arresting the vandals of manhole covers and other public infrastructures in Abuja and urge the Nigeria Police Force to beam its searchlight to other parts of Nigeria where manholes, railway tracks and bridge infrastructures are vandalized. Most of the protectors on the nation’s bridges in Lagos State, manhole covers and street lights are also being vandalized by these criminals. They operate in almost all the states of the country under the guise of scavengers. These criminals have also vandalized some of the protectors in the newly built second Niger Bridge in Onitsha, Anambra State and other public infrastructure in the South-South region.
Apart from being a threat to public safety, the activities of manhole covers vandals must be fueling insecurity in the FCT and other states where they operate. The existence of Pantaker markets in Abuja and other parts of Nigeria is equally increasing the activities of these criminals. Besides, the government should also come up with stern measures to deal with those that vandalise electricity installations, healthcare facilities and oil pipelines.
The activities of these vandals also undermine the wellbeing of Nigerians and our economic development. Since the activities of these public infrastructures vandals are tacitly encouraged by the availability of the Pantaker markets or buyers willing to buy the stolen items, the government should evolve measures to regulate the Pantaker markets and ensure that they desist from patronizing road infrastructure vandals. The government can also close some of the Pantaker markets if they are considered a serious threat to public safety.
In addition, the government can enact laws with stiffer sanctions against the vandalization of public infrastructure. The time has come to criminalize the destruction of roads, bridges, electricity, telecoms and healthcare facilities. The absence of stiffer sanctions against the vandalism of public infrastructure may be responsible for the growing menace of destruction of roads, bridges and railways.
Since many of the infrastructure vandals have been arrested, we urge the police to diligently prosecute them. The matter should not be allowed to drag for so long in the usual Nigerian fashion. On no account should the matter be swept under the carpet. Let there be stiffer punishment for those found guilty of stealing public infrastructure.
We believe that giving them stern punish will prevent others from participating in the vandalization of public infrastructure. At the same time, the government should urgently install security cameras and other gadgets to monitor and secure our public infrastructure as done in other countries.