The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), FCT command, has arrested 20 persons for allegedly scavenging at night in the territory.

Parading the suspects on Monday, the commandant, Olusola Odumosu, said that the scavengers popularly called, “Baba Bola” were arrested at different locations by operatives during a midnight patrol

“Scavenging at midnight is unacceptable in the FCT as intelligence reports revealed that most of the manhole, street lights and traffic lights vandalism, theft occurred at night in the FCT,’’ he said.

Mr Odumosu further revealed that his command had received series of reports of criminals disguising themselves as scavengers attacking citizens on transit during night hours.

“We activated routine night patrols, which proved to be highly effective with an unequivocal and resolute message on Zero tolerance for criminal activities in FCT,’’ he said.

The commandant, however, said that the suspects had undergone comprehensive interview and profiling investigation process and they would be handed over to the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) for prosecution.

He advised persons with no fixed residential addresses in the FCT to return to their hometowns to avoid getting into trouble.

“It is important to note that these scavengers cannot be trusted, some bad elements use them as informants and this is detrimental to the peace of the society,” Mr Odumosu warned.

According to him, the command is dedicated to safeguarding the integrity of critical national assets and infrastructure in all areas of the FCT.

He solicited the support of organisations and communities for the command in its fight against vandalism and crime in the FCT.

Exhibits recovered from the suspects included vandalised iron parts, sacks, and waste products amongst others.

(NAN)