The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested 42 suspects for alleged theft, vandalism, impersonation and other offences in Borno. 

On Friday in Maiduguri, the corps commandant, Musa Faruk, said operatives arrested 11 suspects for illegal metal scrap scavenging and five others for impersonation of police and military personnel.

Mr Faruk said the operatives recovered army and police identification cards from the suspects. 

The commandant said the corps also arrested seven suspects for alleged forgery of Borno government palliative tokens in Dikwa and Mafa local government areas. 

“The state governor, in providing succour to the less privileged and vulnerable population, offered certain palliatives in cash and kinds in various locations within the state.

“Some unscrupulous elements are engaged in forging those cards, thereby taking undue advantage of the beneficiaries of the palliatives. 

“The suspects were found with 50 fake palliative tokens, which they sold at N11,000 each to the unsuspected victims,” he said. 

He said the corps also apprehended some suspects for alleged vandalism of armoured cables, illegal mining and fake employment scams. 

Mr Faruk said preliminary investigations showed that scammers carried out their nefarious activities in connivance with its personnel, adding that erring officers had been prosecuted and convicted.

He said the command also arrested 16 other suspects for vagabonds, possession of dangerous weapons and belonging to a notorious squad known as “Marlians”.

“These men were arrested for acts of vagabonds; this implies that they are dissolute, socially maladjusted, and thereby causing mayhem within society, mostly at night. We have arrested them. 

“Within these sets of persons were menacing and disturbing the peace in the metropolis. We don’t intend to witness another tendency toward Boko Haram,” he said.

(NAN)