Police Smash Streetlight Theft Ring, Nab Eight in Midnight Sweep

ABUJA — Operatives of the FCT Police Command have dismantled a specialised vandalism syndicate after arresting eight suspects in a pre-dawn operation and recovering five long streetlight poles cut at the base.

The breakthrough came on 23 October 2026 at about 3:00 a.m. when officers attached to the Central Police Station, conducting routine anti-crime patrols in the city centre, intercepted the group. Those arrested were identified as Sani Musa, Ashiru Adamu, Markus Joseph, Suleman Ibrahim, Jamilu Umar, Usman Aliyu, Uzairu Sani and Shafiu Bala.

Preliminary investigations linked the men to a criminal network that systematically targets public and private infrastructure across the Central Business District, Maitama, Wuse, Garki and Asokoro. The recovered poles, already severed from their foundations, were among the exhibits taken into custody.

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The suspects and the stolen property remain in police custody pending the conclusion of investigations, after which they will be charged to court. The Command, through its Police Public Relations Officer SP Josephine Adeh, ANIPR, MIPRA, has appealed to residents to stay vigilant and immediately report suspicious movements or activities to the nearest station or via the emergency lines 08032003913 and 08061581938.

The arrest forms part of a sustained crackdown on infrastructure vandals who have repeatedly darkened Abuja streets by stripping solar panels, batteries, cables and entire poles.

Similar operations in recent months have netted groups in Guzape, Kubwa, Wuye and around the National Mosque, with police and the NSCDC recovering armoured cables, solar components and other materials. Residents and security officials have repeatedly warned that the resulting blackouts create dangerous dark spots that encourage further crime and endanger motorists and pedestrians.

Authorities continue to urge the public to treat any unusual late-night activity around street furniture as a priority report, stressing that community cooperation remains essential in protecting the capital’s lighting and safety infrastructure.