Enugu: Police Arrest Five Over Alleged Theft, Vandalism Of Public Assets

The Enugu State Police Command has arrested five suspects in three separate operations for the alleged vandalism and theft of public infrastructure, including a solar streetlight, road traffic signs, and materials belonging to the Enugu State Water Corporation.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement, saying the suspects were arrested in separate operations.

Ndukwe said that on 27 September 2026, at about 8:30 pm, following a tip-off that two men, Wisdom Nuhu and Moses Jonathan, were negotiating the sale of a suspected stolen solar street light at a scrap dump in New Artisan Market, Enugu, operatives of the New Haven Police Division proceeded to the scene and arrested them.

He said the operatives recovered the solar street light and that, during interrogation, the suspects confessed to vandalising and stealing it earlier that day at Graceland Estate, Independence Layout, Enugu.

Ndukwe said that on 24 September 2026, at about 3:34 am, operatives of the Abakaliki Road Police Division, acting on a distress alert from the Enugu State Command-and-Control Centre, arrested Chukwudi Nwigbo, 35, along Abakaliki Road, GRA, Enugu.

He said Nwigbo and an accomplice, who fled the scene, were detected by the security surveillance system as they removed road traffic signs.

“Many vandalised road signs bearing different inscriptions were recovered from the suspect,” he said.

In another operation on 15 September 2026, operatives of the command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), in collaboration with members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group, arrested two men, Zubairu Hamanpedimso, 31, and Mohamed Adamu, 21, for allegedly conspiring to vandalise and steal materials belonging to the Enugu State Water Corporation.

Ndukwe said a bag containing iron materials, bolts and nuts, allegedly vandalised and stolen from the corporation, was recovered from the suspects.

He said all the arrested suspects had been arraigned in court and remanded in a correctional facility pending further hearing, while efforts were ongoing to arrest other accomplices still at large.

The Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, commended the police operatives and members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group for their prompt response, which led to the arrests and recovery of the vandalised and stolen items.

He urged members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information about activities that could undermine public assets and security.