Chukwu Obinna 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Police in Nigeria’s capital recover 131 vandalised electricity distribution cables after suspects abandon a vehicle and flee following a crash while evading officers.
The discovery occurs in the early hours of Friday after a tinted-glass vehicle, believed to be transporting stolen power infrastructure, collides while attempting to escape a police patrol.
Federal Capital Territory Commissioner of Police Miller Gajere Dantawaye reveals the seizure during a press briefing in Abuja, describing it as part of a wider crime crackdown since assuming office in October 2025.
The occupants flee the scene before officers can make arrests, leaving behind the damaged vehicle and vandalised cables suspected to be headed for illegal buyers.
Dantawaye says the command arrests 160 suspects over two months across multiple crime categories, including armed robbery, kidnapping, cyber fraud and illegal firearms possession.
“A total of 300 cases are reported, leading to 160 arrests,” he says.
Police record 62-armed robbery cases, seven kidnapping cases involving 41 suspects, and the rescue of 24 victims, including women and children. Officers also disrupt “one-chance” robbery syndicates and recover 20 stolen vehicles.
During operations, nine armed suspects die in gun battles while resisting arrest or attempting abductions, according to the commissioner.
The command recovers weapons including 21 AK-47 rifles, shotguns, locally made pistols, ammunition, suspected cannabis and ₦15.45 million in cash.
Dantawaye pays tribute to six officers killed in the line of duty and pledges intensified intelligence-led policing and community engagement.
About the Author
Oluwatobi Adu 
Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
Koko Maxwella 