The Anambra State Police Command has smashed a syndicate of power installation vandals in a dramatic series of raids across Onitsha and Obosi, recovering stolen high-tension cables and transformer parts.
The coordinated operations, carried out on Thursday, August 21, ended with four suspects in custody and one dead after a botched escape attempt.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, described the busts as “a major breakthrough in the fight against saboteurs destroying public utilities and plunging communities into darkness.”
Onitsha Raid: Three Suspects Caught Red-Handed
Acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, stormed a hideout along Atani Road, Onitsha, where they arrested Adamu Ali (25), Usman Sulaiman (22), and Isah Abdullahi (26).
Recovered from the hideout were bags of high-tension cables, melted wires, and dismantled transformer parts—evidence of what police say is a booming black-market trade.
“Investigations show the suspects belong to a syndicate that vandalizes and sells power installations, with Lagos serving as their main sales hub,” Ikenga revealed.
Obosi Drama: One Dead in Escape Attempt
Hours earlier, in Obosi, police patrol teams attached to Isiowulu Station had intercepted four young men loitering suspiciously with a bulging black shopping bag near Ascension Anglican Church Road.
Sensing trouble, three of the men bolted, but one unlucky suspect was caught. Inside the bag, officers found a haul of vandal’s tools: assorted cut armoured cables, heavy-duty iron cutters, a glass cutter, gloves, keys, clothing, and slippers.
But the drama was far from over. While being escorted into police custody, the suspect made a desperate dash for freedom—leaping from a storey building.
“In the struggle to re-arrest him, he sustained gunshot injuries. He was rushed to the hospital where doctors confirmed him dead,” Ikenga confirmed.
His body has since been deposited in the morgue pending autopsy.
Police Vow Crackdown
The Command says all recovered exhibits, including the weapon used during the re-arrest, are in safe custody as investigations intensify to track down the fleeing accomplices and recover more stolen infrastructure.
“We are warning criminal elements vandalizing public utilities: there will be no hiding place. The police will relentlessly hunt you down. Ndi Anambra must remain vigilant and report suspicious activities around power and government installations,” Ikenga declared.
The back-to-back busts highlight the growing menace of vandalism in Anambra, where power infrastructure has increasingly become a target for organized syndicates.
