By Innocent Odoh. A seven-member gang of armed vandals at the weekend attacked a security post guarding streetlight facilities and carted away about 120-meter armored cable technically called XLP Cable.
A statement issued on Monday by the Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, said that the operation, which lasted for about 30 minutes has left half of the dual carriage expressway between the Banex interchange and Gwarinpa II Estate interchange in complete darkness.
“During this nefarious operation between 2.30 – 3.00 am on Sunday two Security Guards on duty were injured and later taken to the hospital for treatment but have now been discharged,” the statement said.
“The gang went to the place at the unholy hour driving a Toyota Hilux, carrying ‘NEPA’ ladder and sophisticated equipment used to professionally cut the said cables.
“The vandals who also attempted to vandalize the electricity transformer servicing half of the Dual Carriageway were not lucky because they were unable to break the fortified access after several attempts.
“They however went away with telephone handsets belonging to the Security Guards on duty as well as other electricity installation valuables,” the statement said.
Taking the media round the site of the unfortunate incident, the FCT Director of Facility Maintenance and Management, Engr. Niyi Olaloye, said that his office has already reported the case to the Gwarinpa Police Station.
Engr. Olaloye stated that his office has been witnessing problems of vandals but regretted that a dangerous dimension has been added with the use of firearms.
Also speaking, the Ag. Coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Hajiya Safiya Umar condemned the vandalizing of public facilities and described the act as unpatriotic.
The Coordinator reiterated that monies to be used for replacement of this equipment could better be used for new things apart from the waste of man-hour and darkness created inside the Federal Capital City before replacement, the statement added.
She called on the residents of the Federal Capital Territory to personally see these facilities as theirs by watching over them jealously and promptly reporting any suspicious movements around them to the security agencies.
