Benue: Soldiers arrest two suspected vandals at burnt brick company in Otukpo

Two suspected vandals have been apprehended by soldiers in Otukpo, Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, for allegedly tampering with equipment and installations at the Benue Burnt Bricks Company.

According to reports, the suspects were caught on Saturday night while attempting to vandalise the facility located along the federal highway in Otukpo. They were intercepted by soldiers stationed at a nearby checkpoint.

The suspects, identified as Wilson Egbanga (16) and Okoh Akoja (40), both claimed to be residents of Otukpo Local Government Area.

A resident, who gave his name simply as Adaji, told our correspondent on Sunday that some locals noticed suspicious activities at the site and alerted the soldiers, who quickly responded and arrested the suspects.

Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Hon. Maxwell Ogiri, said the suspects were handed over to the State Security Service (SSS) office in Otukpo for further investigation.

Speaking through his media aide, Joshua Otene, the chairman stated that “the suspects were arrested at the scene,” adding that several items were recovered from them, including heavy metal cut sheets, a large mallet, spanners, two big gas cylinders, and a smaller gas cylinder fitted with hoses suspected to be used for metal cutting.

When contacted, the Otukpo DSS Second-in-Command, Mr. Aba Bashi, confirmed the arrest, noting that the suspects were still in custody and would soon be transferred to Makurdi.

“It’s true that two suspected vandals arrested by soldiers were brought to our office, and they will soon be transferred to Makurdi,” Bashi said.

Vandalism of public infrastructure continues to pose a serious challenge to Nigeria’s industrial and economic growth, causing the decay of valuable assets and hindering development efforts.

The Benue Burnt Bricks Factory, established during the administration of the late Governor Aper Aku, has remained non-functional for years, with repeated reports of vandalism and theft of its equipment.

Efforts to reach the spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet, for comments were unsuccessful as she did not respond to calls or text messages as of the time of filing this report.