Vandalism encouragements and repercusion

In one of its efforts to overcome the rising tide of sabotage on public electrical installations in the Federal Capital City, the FCT Administration installed an electronic detector on one of the most bugled transformers in Wuse District. The effort was rewarded on 23rd December 2018 when a vandal was caught on camera at 4.00am, squarely on the appalling act of thieving vital components of the transformer, after breaking the security lock. The evidence was submitted to the Police for prosecution. The intruder was identified as a suspect on another crime, already on prosecution and on bail. However, 10 months after, judgment is yet to be delivered. Hence, yet to be punished, that is if he will ever be.

Similarly, the Civil Defense apprehended some individuals in possession of some substantial numbers of metal manhole covers, and charged the culprits for prosecution. Even when the items were clearly branded as belonging to the FCTA and recovered from persons not permitted to possess, the case is still ongoing, judgment is yet to be delivered, four years from its commencement.

Due to the challenges experienced in securing the public installations, rather than procuring components like armored cables, from open market, the Administration resolved to have them customized by branding the ones to use. Also, reinforced concrete slabs are now employed, rather than using the metal manhole covers. Unfortunately, even the new concrete slabs are now stolen for only God knows what.

When these installations were stolen, the thieves will not just hide them, without selling or delivering to their masters for sell in the open market here in the FCT, or elsewhere in other parts of the country. With intelligent gathering and special operations, it is not going to be difficult to get at the root to identify the lords. Once identified and successfully prosecuted and the operation sustained, it will definitely stifle the activities of the foot soldiers directly carrying out the dastardly act.

The high level of vandalism of public installations is mindboggling and economic sabotage due to the high cost of frequent replacements. Unfortunately, laws and procedures for bringing the perpetrators to justice are too liberal in comparison to the offence committed, also suffers abuse, hence the continuation unabated. One can imagine accidents that could occur in the early morning hours, consequent upon the criminals’ night operation of removal of metal manhole covers at the center of the road, where vehicles move at high speed. Other disasters could occur by throwing a busy street into darkness, as a result of the stealing of the streetlight underground armored cable.

In recent years, clandestine operations by the miscreants vandalizing streetlight transformers and underground cables became a highly sophisticated syndicated and heavily armed operation. During one of such operations on a streetlight transformer by the Obasanjo Space Center along the Airport Expressway, a security staff to the contractor maintaining the facility was trying to be an obstruction, he was manhandled; his ear cut and the scoundrels successfully carted away many valuable items. The underground cables of the entire stretch of the Ring Road I were completely vandalized some years back. The huge cost involved in restoring it to normalcy is staggering. The ONEX also had is experience of almost 5,000m length of vandalized cables.

It must be acknowledged that the FCT Police Command and the Nigerian Civil Defense were responsive and on patrol along the major Expressways and also device ways in responding to the threats, unless in the surprise attacks. Such wanton crime must have subsided in recent times, because at 4.30am fortnight ago, as I raced to catch an early morning flight, all the street lights along the airport road from the City Gate to Bill Clinton Drive were on. This has been the situation since month of April 2019. It is important to state, that along the Airport Road now, and some other roads that most of the challenges were already addressed, any power failure should be the responsibility of the power providers.

Meanwhile, with the above experience of inconclusive prosecution of the offenders when apprehended, even when concrete evidences are provided, will the innovations of branding items and using concrete slab make any difference? Certainly, when offenders are caught and released, or, their trials continue for a long time, held up, or stalled, other criminals and new ones will join the bandwagon to worsen the threat.

Presently, the Administration is continuously increasing the cost of outsourcing the provision of essential services by building the cost of securing the installations against the activities of vandals. For how long can this be sustained, if other relevant arms continue to delay, or, rather fail in meeting up with their responsibilities? It is not only the FCTA that should be responsible to ending these threats. Other stakeholders include AEDC, NPF, NSCDC, Judiciary and the general public.

The most important and effective measure is attitudinal change to the way all citizens view public installations. They must be viewed as properties not belonging to only the Government, but also to the benefiting general public. So long as their absence or destruction renders the society uncomfortable, securing them should be everybody’s responsibility.