…Recovers motorcycles, jerry cans

By Peter Okutu

ABAKALIKI-Ebonyi State command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, on Wednesday, arrested two persons suspected to be pipeline vandals in the state.

*File Photo: Activity at a vandalised oil pipe

Briefing newsmen at the command headquarters in Abakaliki, the state commandant of the corps, Shuayb Jibril explained that the two suspects were arrested between 2am and 6:30am of the fateful day in Ivo LGA of the state.

According to the commandant, the suspects, Ifeanyi Chukwu, 29, and Nkem Ndika, 29 who hail from Amaonye village in Ishiagu community of Ivo local government area of the state would be charged to court as soon as the command concludes its investigation on the matter.

He cautioned youths in the state to avoid vandalizing pipelines and other federal government installations within and outside their communities as the command was prepared to arrest and prosecute anybody found culpable.

“Stopping vandalism is one of our core mandates; pipelines pass through Ebonyi state and we are working hard to ensure that vandals do exist in the state.

“We took the suspects we arrested to the village head of the community and he ascertained that the suspects are the ones terrorizing the community as it concerns vandalism. Four motorcycles, 8 jerry cans among others were recovered from them.”

The suspects who agreed to have committed the crime blamed their involvement on poverty.