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๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Nigeria /Crime & Justice

Guard, AEDC staff arrested over alleged transformer theft

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Niger State Police Command arrested four individuals for allegedly stealing two 1000 KVA transformers belonging to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company.
  • The suspects were intercepted with the stolen transformers along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway and Maje-Dikko road.
  • The police are continuing their investigation to apprehend two additional suspects, including an AEDC staff member.

The Niger State Police Command has apprehended four suspects in connection with the theft of two 1000 KVA transformers owned by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC). The arrests followed a distress call from the Federal Housing Estate in Tungan-Shanu, where the transformers were discovered missing from their housing.

On 16th August 2026 at about 1:30p.m, a distress call was received by Maje Div from Federal Housing Estate, Tungan-Shanu that on the same date and time, he discovered that two units of 1000KVA transformers that were kept in the Power house of the Estate under the custody of a security man, one Saddam Mohammed, had been stolen.

โ€” Wasiu AbiodunSpokesman of the Niger State Police Command detailing the initial report of the theft.

Operatives intercepted a vehicle carrying the stolen transformers along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway and Maje-Dikko road. The driver of the vehicle, Bilyaminu Jibrin, revealed that he was hired by Yahaya Nepa to deliver the items to Jabi in the Federal Capital Territory. Nepa, in turn, confessed to purchasing the transformers from the estate's security man, Saddam Mohammed, for N750,000 each.

During interrogation, the suspect revealed that he was hired by one Yahaya Nepa, 53yrs of Maje who instructed him to deliver the stolen items to a location in Jabi, FCT.

โ€” Wasiu AbiodunExplaining the suspect's confession about who hired him.

Another security man attached to the estate, Samuel Adedeji, was also arrested. The police are actively pursuing two more individuals, including Saddam Mohammed and an AEDC staff member named Malam Rabiu, who are believed to be involved. The suspects and the recovered transformers are in police custody as investigations continue.

Further investigations led to the arrest of the said Yahaya who confessed to have purchased the transformers from the security man, Saddam Mohammed 33yrs, attached to the Estate in whose custody they were kept. He added that he bought the transformers at the rate of seven hundred and fifty thousand naira (#750,000) each.

โ€” Wasiu AbiodunDetailing Yahaya Nepa's confession about purchasing the transformers.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.