The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Lagos State Command, has arrested two men suspected to be deserters from the Togolese Army. They are also linked to cable vandalism, battery theft, and an inverter theft in different operations across Lagos.
The suspects were presented to the public on Monday at the command headquarters in Alausa, Ikeja.
Oluwaseun Abolurin, the NSCDC Public Relations Officer, spoke to reporters about the arrests. He said the operations followed tips received from local communities, private security firms, and other security partners.
Abolurin explained that the two Togolese Army deserters were arrested based on information from the public through community efforts. He said, “The NSCDC Lagos State Command, relying on intelligence from the community as a result of consistent community engagement, also arrested two deserters from the Togolese Army.”
He mentioned that the suspects will be handed over to the relevant security agency for further investigation and possible prosecution. “They have been apprehended, and a due diligence investigation is ongoing. They will be handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation and prosecution,” he said.
In another incident, Abolurin reported that two suspected cable vandals were caught on June 27 for stealing armoured cables in the Okun Ajah area of Lagos. He said two other suspects are still on the run.
He said the operation was successful due to information from a private security firm. “We got this information from Proton Security Limited, and because of the cooperation between the NSCDC and private guard companies in Lagos State, as well as other security agencies and stakeholders, we were able to respond swiftly to the scene where we apprehended two suspects, while two others are currently at large,” he said.
A shuttle bus with the registration number MUS 109 YH and the stolen armoured cables were recovered as evidence. “We want to say clearly to Lagosians that the two suspects who are at large can only run, but they cannot hide forever,” he added.
One of the suspects, 27-year-old Sontey Teihmah, claimed that he and others were paid N150,000 to transport the cables. “They made a first payment of N150,000 to transport the cables,” he said.
Teihmah also accused men in military uniforms and some civilians of hiring them but said they ran away when the NSCDC arrived. “They wore Army camouflage. Two army men and five civilians paid us to carry the cables. They were with us, but once they came to arrest us, they ran away. We couldn’t run and leave our bus,” he alleged.
He also offered to help the investigators find those who hired him. “We asked them to handcuff us, and we would take them to the compound of the person who sent us on the job. They declined. I asked them to give me my phone to call the man named Abu to convince him to come,” he said.
In a different operation, the command arrested suspects for stealing eight lithium batteries from Orchid Road in Lekki. Abolurin said the suspects were caught on June 15 at around 4 p.m. after an intelligence-led operation.
“Investigation is ongoing, and we will ensure that we carry out due diligence for prosecution and possible conviction through the instrumentality of the court,” he said.
The NSCDC spokesman also shared news of another arrest for vandalising transformer earthing cables in the Shogunle area of Oshodi on June 26. He added that a 44-year-old man was arrested for stealing an inverter, a case already in court.
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