The police command in Niger State says it has arrested three suspects for allegedly vandalising and stealing armoured cables in separate incidents in the state.

In a statement on Saturday, the command’s spokesperson, Wasiu Abiodun, said Mubarak Tanko, 25, was arrested in Sarkin Pawa community, Munya Local Government Area, at about 3:30 a.m. last Friday.

“The suspect was arrested with a vandalized armoured cable and during investigation, it was revealed that the suspect trespassed into the community transformer”, he said.

He noted that the suspect vandalised the armoured cable using a cutlass modified into a saw.

Mr Abiodun explained that the suspect confessed to the crime, saying he intended to sell the cable to scrap dealers.

The police said the vandalised cable and a cutlass were recovered as exhibits, while the suspect was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation and prosecution.

Mr Abiodun said that in another incident on Monday at about 9:20 a.m., two men allegedly trespassed into a transformer installation in Barkin-Sale, Minna, vandalised it and stole armoured cables valued at over ₦700,000.

He said the police mobilised to the scene and arrested two suspects, identified as Abubakar Aliyu, 27, and Mustapha Zakari, 22, both residents of Barkin-Sale, Minna.

“During interrogation, the suspects confessed to perpetrating the crime on the same date at about 2:00 a.m. with the intention of selling the cables to scavengers/scrap dealers,” he noted.

He added that the stolen items had been recovered and that both suspects were undergoing further investigation.