The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Edo State Command, has arrested members of an alleged telecommunications vandalism syndicate and recovered eight stolen lithium batteries valued at over ₦16 million in what it described as a major breakthrough in the protection of critical national assets.

Addressing journalists in Benin City, the Edo State Commandant of the Corps, Akintayo Saidi Ayinla, said the operation followed a report of vandalism at an IHS telecommunications facility identified as IHS-EDO0769A, where eight lithium batteries were stolen.

Ayinla said officers from the Critical National Assets and Infrastructure Department, working alongside the Intelligence and Investigation Department, launched an intelligence-driven operation that traced the movement of the stolen batteries. According to him, investigators identified the vehicle used to transport the items and invited the driver, whose cooperation provided useful information that led to the arrest of other suspects.

The Commandant disclosed that the alleged leader of the syndicate, identified simply as Engineer Yusuf from Okada in Ovia North-East Local Government Area, was arrested alongside an insider believed to have facilitated access to the telecommunications facility.

He added that operatives also raided suspected receiving points in Benin City, leading to the arrest of two shop owners suspected of purchasing stolen telecommunications equipment. Further investigations, he said, led to the identification and arrest of the alleged main receiver, Victor Ogbeifun of Igbanke in Orhionmwon Local Government Area.

Ayinla announced that all eight stolen lithium batteries had been recovered from a secluded location where they were hidden, noting that each battery is valued at over ₦2 million.

He said the Command had shifted its strategy from targeting only those who physically vandalise infrastructure to dismantling the entire criminal network, including insiders, buyers and financiers of stolen critical infrastructure.

"This operation sends a clear message that the NSCDC is changing the narrative. We are no longer interested in arresting only the people who physically vandalise infrastructure. Our focus is now on dismantling the entire criminal network behind these crimes," he said.

The Commandant warned those involved in vandalism and the illegal trade in stolen infrastructure to desist, stressing that the Corps would continue to deploy intelligence and technology to track down and prosecute all members of such criminal syndicates.

He said the suspects were undergoing the final stages of investigation and would be charged to court upon completion of the investigation.

Meanwhile, one of the suspects, Victor Ogbeifun, denied knowing the batteries were stolen. Speaking with journalists, he claimed the sellers, who are currently at large, told him the batteries had been condemned. He said he bought each battery for ₦40,000, insisting he was unaware they were stolen from a telecommunications facility.

Ayinla said the Command would intensify surveillance around telecoms installations across the state and work with relevant stakeholders to curb the rising cases of vandalism, warning that anyone found aiding the theft or resale of critical infrastructure would face the full weight of the law.