….arrest 31 suspects, charge 16 to court
JONAS EZIEKE, Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory FCT Police Command in collaborative efforts with the joint task force comprising of other security agencies have raided the shanties and pantakas in the nation’s capital and arrested thirty-one suspects and recovered stolen materials from dealers of stolen goods worth N1 billion.
This is as the Commissioner of Police FCT CP Olatunji Disu has warned residents of the nation’s capital to desist from buying stolen items from scavengers who vandalise and steal public properties and sell them at give away prices.
The Police boss who disclosed this at a press briefing and gave the advisory on Friday stated that the invidious criminal activity of scavenging not only poses a significant threat to public safety but also disrupts the provision of essential amenities and jeopardizes critical infrastructure.
He said that in a bold move to tackle the menace of vandalism, and theft of public infrastructure, the Minister of FCT Bar Nyesom Wike convened a security meeting with heads of security agencies.
He also stated that this strategic gathering culminated in the formation of a joint task force with a directive ordering the closure of all scrap yards commonly referred to as pantaka markets in the nation’s capital.
According to him, members of the task force include the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Department of State Services DSS, Immigration, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS), FCT Social Development Secretariat (SDS), Abuja Environmental Protection Agency, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Abuja Development Control (ADC).
The Police commissioner also said that the coordinated operations of the task force focused on scrap yards, commonly called pantaka markets where scavengers also known as Babanbola engage in criminal activities.
The team displaced, evacuated and demolished makeshift shanties and illegal structures, thereby disrupting the illicit trade and illegal structures that obstruct public safety.
They also arrested thirty-one suspects out of which sixteen have been charged to court for criminal conspiracy, mischief by injury to public roads, navigable channels and electrical installations.
The suspects charged to court are Adamu Abubakar, Emmanuel John Eze, Emeka Eziekel, Ahmad Suleiman, Dennis Chiagozie, Ismail Usaman, Victor Ezeokoye, Izundu Fidelis, Alex Okechukwu Eddy, Jonathan R.Obi, Simon Samuel, Mubarak Lawal, Okafor Ekene, Usman Lawal, Shaibu Yahaya and James Edu.
Notable markets raided by the joint task force include Dei-Dei Panteker,Kabusa Panteker, Dei-Dei Outward Lane Panteker, Zuba Panteka, Mpape Panteka, Jabi Panteka and Nyanya Panteka.
Some items recovered by the team include 115 units of manhole with the inscription ‘Not for Sale’, five motorcycles, huge volume of cables, cut to size electric-transfromer, bundles of cables, a huge volume of fiber optic materials, copper wires and rubber insulators.
Other items recovered were 12 large-size solar panels, large quantities of iron rods (22 mm rods), documents related to vehicles with unverifiable ownership, fake, fabricated Mercedes Benz chassis numbers, industrial solar batteries, solar panels, weighing scales and vehicle rims among others.
The Police boss said that the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company AEDC officials were invited by the joint task team to identify some of these items and they confirmed that the cables and electrical components were vandalised from multiple electricity stations across the FCT.
He added that as a direct consequence of these acts of vandalism several areas including Dawaki, Mpape, Nyanya, Karu and surrounding communities have been plunged into total block out.
He informed that the estimated value of all the recovered items exceeds one billion naira and warned the public to desist from buying stolen items from scavengers and to always verify the origin of goods before buying.
He assured of the commitment of the Police Command to the security of the lives and properties of the residents of the FCT and added that the raid is a continuous exercise that would extend to the satellite towns and border areas of the city.
For a better society
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