Four Arrested for Stealing Roof Sheets in Jigawa

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Jigawa State Command, has caught four people for stealing aluminium roofing sheets from the School of Nursing in Hadejia.

The suspects were arrested on Tuesday by NSCDC operatives from the Gandun Sarki Division. They were doing routine checks to protect important national assets and infrastructure.

ASC Badruddeen Tijjani, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Wednesday in Dutse. He said the suspects were caught behind the fence of the School of Nursing in Hadejia.

"The suspects were intercepted during routine surveillance as part of the Corps’ job to protect important national assets and infrastructure," he said.

Tijjani noted that the suspects had 13 square metres of aluminium roofing sheets. These sheets were likely taken from renovation work at the school.

"During the operation, the suspects were found in possession of thirteen square metres of aluminum roofing sheets suspected to have been removed from the ongoing renovation works at the institution," the CDPRO said.

The suspects are Adamu Mohd, 31, a security guard who lives in Ramin Zaki Quarters, Hadejia; Dan Inu Mohd, 35, a carpenter from Gandun Sarki in Malam Madori Local Government Area; Isma’ila Adamu, 30, a tricycle rider from the same area; and Bashari Yahaya, 25, an apprentice also from Gandun Sarki.

Tijjani said initial investigations showed that one of the suspects worked as part of the school’s security team. This raised concerns about security issues at the school.

"This development has exposed a significant security lapse within the institution’s internal security architecture," he said.

Tijjani added that the command has told the management of the School of Nursing, Hadejia, about these security problems. They advised the school to improve its security to avoid future thefts.

"The command has drawn the attention of the management to the identified security gap and advised the institution to strengthen its internal security measures to prevent similar incidents in the future," he stated.

Meanwhile, the Jigawa State Commandant of the NSCDC, CC Muhammad Ingawa, has assured that the Corps will keep fighting against vandalism and protecting public infrastructure in the state.

"The Corps remains unwavering in its commitment to protecting Critical National Assets and Infrastructure across Jigawa State," Ingawa said through the CDPRO.

He warned anyone involved in vandalism and theft to stop. He said the Corps will keep increasing surveillance and enforcement actions.

"Individuals involved in vandalism, theft, and other acts of economic sabotage should desist. The Corps will continue to intensify surveillance, intelligence gathering, and enforcement operations to ensure offenders are brought to justice," the Commandant warned.

Vandalism of public infrastructure is still a big problem in Nigeria. Schools, hospitals, power installations, and government buildings are often targeted by criminals who want to sell stolen materials for money.

Security agencies have often warned that these acts cause economic losses and disrupt public services and development projects.