NSCDC arrests suspected vandal of critical infrastructure in Kogi

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Kogi State Command, has arrested a suspected vandal of critical national assets and infrastructure in the state.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, SC Aliyu Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the statement, personnel of the Corps serving at the Isanlu Division in Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi State, in collaboration with local vigilantes, arrested one Adebayo Joshua, 35, while allegedly vandalising facilities at the Kogi State Project Cashew Aggregation Centre in Isanlu.

The statement said items allegedly vandalised included electrical cables, which had already been peeled off, and an electrical control board.

It added that the suspect was apprehended through the effective collaboration between NSCDC personnel and local vigilantes.

“During preliminary investigation, the suspect reportedly made a confessional statement and is currently assisting the Corps with further investigation towards possible prosecution in accordance with the law,” the statement said.

While parading the suspect, the Kogi State Commandant, CC Aletan Olumide Ebenezer, commended the personnel and local vigilantes for their vigilance and timely intervention.

The commandant urged residents, particularly youths, to provide the Corps with credible and timely intelligence on suspicious activities within their communities.

He noted that Kogi State is richly endowed with enormous mineral and agricultural resources, stressing that the abundance of these resources places a responsibility on all residents to protect the state’s assets and create an environment conducive to economic development.

The commandant reiterated the directive of the Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, that the protection of critical national assets and infrastructure within the command’s area of responsibility remained a major priority.

He assured the people of Kogi State that the Corps would continue to deploy intelligence-led operations to check vandalism, theft and other forms of criminality.

He further called for sustained cooperation among security agencies, traditional institutions, community leaders, vigilantes and members of the public, noting that security is a collective responsibility.