Eleven suspects were yesterday arrested by the Sokoto State Police Command for allegedly vandalising cables and other facilities belonging to NITEL Plc. in Sokoto and its environs.
The facilities, LEADERSHIP learnt, were worth several millions of Naira.
Sokoto State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Baba Bolanta, who disclosed this yesterday, while addressing journalists on the recent criminal activities at the state police headquarters, said the suspected vandals had confessed their guilt, saying they were the ones that vandalised all the NITEL cables all over Kaduna and Sokoto states respectively.
The commissioner, who just arrived from pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, said that during investigation, a truck, a Honda Civic and burglary items were recovered from the suspects. According to him, the police patrol team apprehended the suspects and the driver of the truck while conveying the items along Abdullahi Fodiyo road in Sokoto metropolis.
At the time filling this report, all the NITEL cables and other items recovered were said to have been deposited at Police Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) office in the state.
In a related development, the police also intercepted a gang of armed robbers operating in Kebbe to Yan-Dutse in Sokoto. According to the commissioner, during their operation, the police killed one and the others escaped.
Alhaji Bolanta appealed to the general public to always provide the command with useful information to enable it track down the activities of criminals in the state.