The police in Akwa Ibom State have arrested suspects linked to the vandalism and theft of property belonging to the state-owned Akwa Ibom Water Company.
Timfon John, the police spokesperson in the state, disclosed this in a statement forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES on Friday.
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Ms John, a deputy superintendent of police, said the arrests, which occurred between 18 and 21 August, were intelligence-driven.
She identified the suspects as Itoro Moses David and Patrick Effiom.
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“On 18 August, operatives responded to a tip regarding the theft of armoured cables from the Akwa Ibom Water Company’s property on Brooks Street in Uyo. The police team quickly mobilised, leading to the arrest of two suspects at the scene,” Ms John said.
The suspects, the police said, have confessed to the crime and provided information that led to the arrest of the third suspect, Edidiong Edet.
“The stolen armoured cables have been recovered. The police are continuing their investigation, and efforts are currently underway to arrest more individuals involved in the syndicate,” Ms John said.
More vandal arrests
The police in the state have recorded a surge in the arrests of suspected vandals.
The latest arrest came a day after operatives in the state arrested two suspects specialising in vandalising electricity transformers.
The suspects, Collins Ekene, 37, from Imo State, and Elijah John, 36, from Akwa Ibom, are residents in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, but came into the state to vandalise a transformer before they were arrested.
This newspaper last month reported how the police arrested a suspected cultist and vandal and recovered a human skull from him.
Two weeks earlier, this PREMIUM TIMES reported that the police arrested suspected vandals and thieves in the state.
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Two months ago, suspected vandals were arrested with several items, including copper and aluminium electricity cables recovered from them.
Governor Umo Eno, in January, expressed concern about the spate of vandalism of public facilities in the state, particularly electricity transformers.
Mr Eno, who expressed displeasure over the menace in a meeting with the commissioner of police, said that besides the huge costs the government bears in replacing them, it also hinders rural development, a major focal point of his administration after agriculture.
