No fewer than seven persons have been arrested in Adamawa State over alleged vandalisation of ‘critical structures.’

Operatives of the state Police Command, who made the arrest, have indicated the critical structures as pipelines belonging to the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC).

The Adamawa State Police Command, in a statement obtained Saturday by DAILY POST, said 53 pieces of vandalized pipelines were recovered.

In the statement signed by Police image maker Suleiman Nguroje, the Command said the suspects were arrested in an operation on Friday, October 25, after they conspired and stole the confiscated pieces of pipelines.

The police stated that the state command acted upon information provided by a good Samaritan and arrested the suspects.

The statement gave the names of the suspects as Umar Musa, 40 years old and a resident of Kaduna Road, Abuja; Mohammed Hassan, 25 years old and a resident of Kasuwan Shanu, Potiskum, Yobe State; Adamu Abdullahi, 28 years old from Bununu Funai in Yobe State; and Yakubu Adamu, 27, from Sabon Layi, Potiskum, Yobe State.

The others are Gabriel Wale, 40 years old and a resident of Mafoluku, Ishodi, Lagos State; Abubakar Garba, 40 years old and a resident of Angwan Dosa, Kaduna State; and Aliyu Muhammad, a 28-year-old man from Darazo Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

“This distressing incident poses a substantial threat to public safety and represents a severe act of economic sabotage as it pertains to crucial infrastructure linking Adamawa State and the southern part of the country,” the police command stated.

It disclosed that the case has been documented for a comprehensive investigation, and measures are underway to apprehend their collaborators who it alleged are operating along with the suspects from behind the scenes.