Two suspected pipeline vandals have been arrested in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

The suspects were arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Edo State Command, in collaboration with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the Edo State Governor on Pipeline Surveillance and Security, Joseph Okonigene.

In a statement, the spokesman for the NSCDC Edo State Command, Ogbebor Efosa, said the suspects, identified as Kadirithe  Isah, 55, and Mustapha Naphiyu, 27, had been on the command’s radar for some time.

Efosa disclosed that through sustained intelligence gathering and surveillance, operatives successfully tracked and apprehended the suspects.

The statement partly reads: “During preliminary interrogation, the suspects made useful confessional statements regarding their involvement in the criminal activities.

“Efforts are ongoing to arrest other members of the syndicate and dismantle the entire network behind this heinous crime.

“The suspects will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.”

The NSCDC spokesman reiterated the command’s “unwavering commitment, under the leadership of Commandant Akintayo Saidi Ayinla, to protecting critical national assets and infrastructure and combating all forms of economic sabotage across Edo State.

He therefore warned individuals involved in pipeline vandalism and other acts of economic sabotage to desist immediately or leave Edo State, adding “as there will be no hiding place for criminals determined to undermine the government’s efforts at safeguarding the nation’s critical infrastructure.”