The Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) has retrieved about 700 stolen manholes and gully covers from the court through the intervention of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

The executive secretary of FCDA, Shehu Ahmad, said this on Thursday in Abuja when he briefed journalists on the authority’s efforts to protect critical national infrastructure in the nation’s capital.

Mr Ahmad said the vandalisation of manhole and gully covers had become a concern to the FCT Administration, adding that the administration had intensified efforts toward addressing the situation.

He said FCT Minister Muhammad Bello had declared to the FCT commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to protect critical infrastructures such as manholes and gully covers, cables, and street lights from vandals.

“For three to four years, we have been battling to retrieve them from the court to the government, not until last week were we able to break harder through the intervention of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

“The AGF ordered the court to release those exhibits so that we can place some of them back because we have a larger chunk of them, over 600 to 700 pieces, but it will not do much by the time we collect them and start replacement on a stretch of road we need more than a thousand.

“When we collect them, we can provide them for those areas that are a little bit more secure. Even within these premises, we can say we can replace some manhole covers with some confidence, but outside this area, we cannot guarantee,” he said.

The executive secretary said the FCT Administration was considering alternative covers with less second-hand value and would not be attractive to vandals.

“But honestly, we have been able to get some composite materials, and around this road, you will see some of these things have already been deployed.

“We have also reached out to Ajaokuta steel company, and so many other people are presenting all kinds of products, some on Corporate Social Responsibility, and some of the products didn’t pass our relevant test for them to be sustainable on our roads.

“But some we have to subject them to give them our own specifications, and I think few of such have been confirmed to pass our test, and we are also deploying concrete and composite materials now,” he said.

(NAN)