The FCT Police Command has arrested more than 200 scavengers who have been hiding under the trade to terrorize residents, rob manholes and vandalize peoples cars in the last two months.
This is just as officers of the command arrested three suspects in connection with the murder of a Bolt Driver, Obasi Okeke, in Abuja following the discovery of the victim, lying in the pool of his blood with a slit throat at Ngugu close Area 11, Garki Abuja.
Commissioner of Police in charge of the Command, Haruna Garba made this known when he hosted the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 7, Adebowale Williams on an operational visit to the command.
CP Garba said in the last two months, the Command has clamped down on activities of the scavengers otherwise known as ‘Babanbolas’ whose habit is to destroy the critical infrastructures in the FCT.
Their activities have become a source of concern and threat to the residents of the FCT. They have been involved in theft and destruction of critical infrastructures in the FCT. In the last two months, 212 scavengers have been arrested and arraigned in Court.
He expressed concern that those arrested were caught red-handed destroying the critical assets in the FCT.
On the killers on the bolt driver, Garba said discreet investigation by the police to ascertain the perpetrators of the dastardly act led to the arrest of the three suspects.
In the course of the investigation, the police discovered that the deceased was a bolt driver who was called by one of the suspect to convey them to Guzape Area of Abuja On the way to Guzape, the suspects asked the bolt driver to take them to a place to buy Indian hemp. When they returned to their take-off point, they discovered they had no money to pay for their trip.
The CP said, they then showed the deceased a fake debit alert on one of their phones claiming they had transfered the money, but the deceased insisted that he had not received any alert.
In the ensuing argument, one of the suspects brought out a knife, slit the deceased throat, and fled from the scene.
He said the three suspects had confessed to committing the crime and that they would be charged to court upon completion of investigation.
Furthermorw, CP Garba said the command on July 18 arrested three suspects over kidnapping in the Jikowyi area of the FCT.
He said the suspects were arrested following actionable intelligence and with the support of a patriotic individual.
In his remarks, AIG Adebowale Williams said the current security challenges in the country were a bit difficult to end because non-state actors like bandits, insurgents, kidnappers, armed robbers and other criminals act is not w the order of the day.
Williams however warned that no matter how hard they try to perpetuate criminalities in the nooks and cranny of the country and continue the non-conventional warfare against the nation, they will be smoked out and smashed in no distant time.
Adding, that there is a need to take advantage of the Police Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU), Crime Database Unit, NPF National Cybercrime Section and the NPF Interpol among others to enhance our proactive policing, for it is time to improve on visibility policing.
