The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has vowed that the 50 individuals detained for vandalising manhole covers on Abuja’s roads would face prosecution.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on Monday – yesterday, January 6 – the police announced the detention of 50 suspected vandals, who were caught with 25 manhole covers and solar street lights.
Reacting to the development, Wike said the detained suspects would face the full wrath of the law to serve as a deterrent to others.
This is even as the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) announced it had started replacing the vandalised manhole covers on Independence Avenue in the Central Business District of Abuja.
The acting Executive Secretary, Mr Richard Dauda, who disclosed this in Abuja yesterday when he visited the area to assess the replacement exercise, said about 13 manhole covers in the middle of the road were vandalised on the road corridor.
He, however, assured the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, had directed the immediate replacement of the stolen manholes to save lives and property.
“It’s unfortunate that we are having this kind of situation.
“It is not the first time. Even along this stretch, it’s not the first time and we keep coming back to replace them.
“I think it’s more of a security issue to check this kind of vandalism.
“Going forward, I am sure the FCT Administration will intervene very, very seriously in terms of checking vandalism within the city,” he said.
In a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Mr Lere Olayinka, Wike emphasised that no criminal would be spared, warning that the FCT Administration would also ensure that all buyers and users of the stolen manhole covers and other public infrastructure are apprehended.
The culprits, he said, would be prosecuted for economic sabotage and for endangering the lives of Nigerians.
Wike described the detention of the 50 suspected vandals as a demonstration of the FCTA’s zero-tolerance policy toward criminal activities, particularly the vandalisation of public amenities.
He commended security agencies for their prompt and decisive actions, calling their collaborative efforts “fantastic.”
“This is an assurance to the residents of the FCT that their lives and property are secure,” he stated.
The minister also lauded Nigerians for showing patriotism by speaking out against vandalism, emphasising that the protection of public amenities was a collective responsibility.
He urged residents of the FCT to continue using social media positively, as demonstrated by one individual who alerted authorities about the stolen manhole covers.
He pledged that the Administration would act swiftly on similar incidents in the future.
“Those stealing and buying amenities meant for the use of Nigerians are Nigerians themselves.
“They live among us, and they are known. It is, therefore, important that patriotic Nigerians begin to expose them before they carry out their criminal acts,” Wike said.
According to Dauda, the replacement of the stolen manholes would, however, take some time because of the materials used in making them and the time to produce them.
But, he assured residents that the FCDA would do all it could to replace the manholes to make the road safe for motorists, adding that to address the problem of the incessant stealing of the manholes, the FCT Administration has resorted to using non-melting materials to produce the cover.
“In fact, some of the ones that were stolen are those materials that have been made from some sort of composite material.
“When you melt them, nothing much comes out of it, but they just keep stealing them.
“On some roads, we have even used concrete, and you still see people coming to break them; for what purpose and for what benefit, I don’t know,” Dauda agonised.
