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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Conflict & Security

Thieves Raid FG Staff Buses at Niger Secretariat, Stealing Critical Components

From The Punch · (13h ago) English Critical tone

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Thieves stole the brain boxes from seven Federal Government staff buses parked at the Suleja Local Government Area secretariat.
  • The stolen parts are crucial for the buses' operation, causing significant disruption for government employees commuting from Suleja to Abuja.
  • This incident is part of a recent increase in theft targeting these buses, with drivers reporting stolen fuel and parts since September 2025.

A brazen act of theft has targeted the essential transportation of Federal Government employees in Nigeria, with thieves making off with the brain boxes of seven staff buses at the Suleja Local Government Area secretariat. This incident, which occurred on Sunday and was reported to the Suleja Divisional Police Headquarters on Monday, has left government workers in the lurch and highlighted a growing security concern.

So we came out this morning (Sunday) to take our vehicle for repairs and discovered that somebody had broken into it. I even thought it was our battery they removed, but our battery was well protected. It was the brain box that was removed. We were the first set that raised the alarm that they had removed our brain box.

— Mr Jimah UmarA driver with the Budget and National Planning bus, describing his discovery of the theft.

The affected buses belong to various critical agencies, including the Federal Ministries of Agriculture, Budget and National Planning, and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, among others. These buses are a lifeline for many staff who commute from Suleja to Abuja, and the theft of their brain boxes renders them inoperable, causing significant hardship and disruption to their daily work.

I got a call from Mr Abdul that he saw that they had removed the brain box of his vehicle. On arriving, we discovered not only his, but many agencies’ buses were affected.

— Mr Amos AmoduSecretary of the Suleja Staff Buses Association, confirming the widespread nature of the theft.

This is not an isolated event. Drivers have reported a disturbing trend of escalating theft since September 2025, with previous incidents including the theft of fuel, wheel spanners, jacks, and tires. The security personnel on duty, consisting of only two elderly men and two civilian vigilante members on rotation, appear to have been overwhelmed or unaware, with the incident possibly occurring during heavy rainfall. The Punch, as a leading voice in Nigerian journalism, calls for a thorough investigation and enhanced security measures to protect public assets and ensure the safety and convenience of civil servants.

This matter started around September last year, when we began having issues; drivers would come and say their fuel had been removed from their vehicles. Even mine, twice they have stolen fuel from my vehicle. I would fill my tank to last three days, but within two days, the fuel would be gone. Also, some drivers complained of the stealing of their wheel spanners, jacks and tyres. The truth is that before now, nothing like that had ever happened.

— Mr Joel ArenkhandaA driver with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, detailing the history of thefts targeting the buses.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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