The Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) at the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has handed over an expatriate to the police for allegedly vandalising streetlights in the nation’s capital.
The coordinator of the council, Felix Obuah, disclosed this after inspecting some of the vandalised streetlights along the Kubwa expressway and other parts of Abuja on Tuesday, October 29, 2024.
Although Obuah did not disclose the identity of the expatriate, he described him as highly a prominent foreign contractor doing business with the FCTA.
He said scavengers and miscreants had been blamed as the culprits involved in the vandalisation of streetlights in Abuja, adding however that high-level contractors were involved.
Obuah said: “Today we discovered that high-level contractors are involved in sabotaging the efforts of the FCT Minister and AMMC to ensure streetlights are working in the capital city.
“We have arrested a very prominent contractor, an expatriate who was involved in vandalising streetlights, probably to enable them to get the streetlight contract.
“As I speak to you, one of the expatriates is in detention, for vandalising our streetlight poles.”
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He stated that he would submit a full report to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, over the issue with a view to taking action on those who were vandalising and those buying the vandalised facilities.
He added: “I went to Kubwa Road, Jabi, Shehu Yar’adua Way, among other streets and discovered that most of the streetlights particularly in Kubwa axis have been vandalised,
“I am saddened by the level of vandalisation that has happened in some of these lots.
“We can be fixing street lights while some miscreants and expatriates are busy vandalising, sabotaging the good efforts of this government.”
Obuah said Wike had earlier given the AMMC a matching order to make sure that all streetlights were working.
He said the council engaged contractors to restore the streetlights, maintain and secure them against vandals.
Obuah stated: “But when we visited some of the streets, we discovered that most of the contractors are not living up to expectations. There is no security.
“After they finished installation in the night they leave and vandals take over the space and vandalise the installations, removing mostly the cables.
“Those that are not living up to expectations we will recommend relieving them of the contract and handing over the job to competent contractors that are ready to do the job.”
He added that hunters and vigilante groups have been engaged to secure the facility against vandals.
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