The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) is on the heels of some suspected vandals allegedly responsible for stealing sewage manhole covers in Abuja.
Mr Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media to the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, confirmed this in a statement on Sunday.
Wike said that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the vandals’ collaborators, especially buyers of the manhole covers.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that an unidentified Nigerian took to his TikTok handle, @savvarkmedia360, to decry the unabated vandalisation of manhole covers in FCT highways and urged Wike to do something about it.
The minister said that relevant authorities had been directed to work assiduously to stop the act of vandalism, adding that the public would be briefed in due course.
Wike expressed displeasure that some Nigerians could go to the extent of removing sewage manhole covers on highways and selling them, thereby, putting the lives of road users at risk.
He vowed that the FCT Administration would do everything necessary to bring the perpetrators to book.
The minister also thanked the Nigerian who recorded the video of the vandalism and shared it online, calling it a great example of patriotism.
According to him, it is good that ordinary Nigerians are also speaking out against this vandalism.
“Overall, it’s good to see that people are taking this issue seriously and working together to address it.
“The FCT Administration is taking this seriously, working to stop this vandalism and keep the city safe.
“It’s worth noting that this isn’t just a matter of theft, but also a safety issue, as these stolen covers can put road users at risk,” he said.
When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer, FCT Command, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed that the command had detained a suspected vandal and recovered seven manhole covers from the suspect.
