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The Police Command in Enugu State has detained four suspected vandals and recovered a trailer load of vandalised bridge parts and cut-off oil pipes in two separate operations in the state.
Daniel Ndukwe, the police spokesperson in Enugu State, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Enugu.
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Mr Ndukwe, a superintendent of police, said the police operatives recovered the vandalised components of the iron bridge, loaded onto a 40-foot trailer and pieces of suspected carbon-steel oil and gas pipes.
He said that both operations were carried out by the Command serving in the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Squad, during routine patrols.
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“On 6 February, at about 6:45 p.m., operatives of SWAT Squad, while on routine patrol along the Sagem/Amaechi–Idodo axis of the Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway, intercepted a white MAN Diesel 40-foot trailer conveying vandalised iron bridge parts.
“Three male suspects, identified as Okwudili Agbo, 45; Emmanuel Onyemachi, 18; and Evans Monday, 29, were immediately detained in connection with the incident.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects and their cohorts currently at large vandalised the bridge parts at Eziama Bridge, Amechi-Idodo, in Nkanu East Local Government Area of the state,” he said.
Mr Ndukwe said that in a second operation on the same date at about 11:56 p.m., the same SWAT operatives, while on patrol along Owoh/Ubahu Road in Nkanu East Local Government Area, intercepted and detained a suspect, Hyacinth Orjiakor, 50.
“Orjiakor was found assembling vandalised suspected carbon steel oil and gas pipes. Several pieces of the pipes and one gas cylinder were recovered from him.
“Investigative efforts are ongoing to apprehend other suspects currently at large, while the cases will be prosecuted in court once investigations are concluded,” he said.
Mr Ndukwe said the state’s commissioner of police commended the operatives for their vigilance, prompt detention of the suspects and the recoveries made.
He said that the state police chief also reiterated the command’s commitment to the protection of lives and property across the state.
The spokesperson warned that vandals should desist forthwith from their criminal activities, as the command would not relent in its efforts to track down and bring all perpetrators to justice.
Bridge vandalism in Nigeria
There have been several instances of bridge vandalism in Nigeria, specifically targeting critical infrastructure in Lagos and the South-east.
Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, in June 2024, lamented the vandalisation of infrastructure on the Second Niger Bridge in Anambra State.
“It is heartrending that the facilities are being vandalised by those who are meant to own the benefits it serves,” Mr Umahi had said, describing the vandalisation as “cruel”.
Before the minister’s reaction, a social media influencer, Anayo Usulor, popularly known as Lord Zues, had uploaded a video clip on Facebook showing the vandalised part of the Second Niger Bridge.
In the clip, some rail fittings installed on the bridge were uprooted and vandalised by unknown persons.
Mr Usulor had called on the authorities to investigate the development. He expressed fears that the destruction could cause an accident along the bridge.
In another clip, the social media influencer was seen at the bridge with armed police officers.
He explained that he reported the matter to the divisional police officer at C-Division Headquarters in Asaba, Delta State, who subsequently deployed operatives to recover the uprooted rail fittings and bring them to the facility for safekeeping.
(NAN)
