Expatriate in Police Custody for Vandalising Abuja Street Poles, Cable
Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
The Abuja Metropolitan Management Company (AMMC) has arrested one of the prominent expatriate contractors from a major firm for vandalism of key components of street light in the nation capital.
The Coordinator of AMMC, Chief Felix Obuah, disclosed this yesterday during the inspection of vandalised cable and other accessories in some parts of the nation’s capital.
Obuah said the expatriate involved was doing business in Abuja and was vandalising the cable and street poles to enable him get a new contract from the authority.
He said the suspect had been formally handed over by the FCT Administration to the police for investigation.
The AMMC coordinator also declined to reveal the name and nationality of the suspect pending the conclusion of investigation.
He admitted that until they were able to discover the involvement of high-level contractors in sabotage, AMMC erroneously believed that the theft of the cable components in the metropolitan was only carried out by miscreants and scavengers.
The vandalism of the cable on Kubwa expressway left many parts of Gwagwalada, Dawaki and Kasauna in pitch darkness.
According to him, “Today, we arrested a very prominent contractor, an expatriate, who are involved in vandalising the street light to enable them to get this contract.
“As I speak to you, one of the expatriates is in detention. He was arrested as a result of vandalising our poles. We have evidence, we have everything.
“Our report is going down to the minister. Tomorrow, immediately, we must make sure that we go to the root cause to discover those who are buying and those vandalising. This is to make sure that the dream of the minister and his effort, having a sleepless night, to make sure that Abuja is one of the best cities in the whole world are achieved.”
Obuah also disclosed that AMMC maintenance team had restored electricity to some of the major streets like Musa Yar’ Adua, Solomon Lar (Jabi) and Hassan Katsina while officials of the company would continue to carry out invention on all 21 lots in the city and ensure that within a short possible time, power is restored to the vandalised major roads.
