A 24-year-old bricklayer, Akeem Sulaiman has been apprehended by the Osun State Command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for allegedly vandalizing Ansar-Ud-Deen Secondary School, Iwo.
The Osun NSCDC Commandant, Michael Adaralewa, in a statement issued by the Command spokesperson, Adeleke Kehinde, on Friday, Sulaiman, a resident of No. 23 Aladorun Compound, Iwo, was apprehended by NSCDC personnel in Iwo on Sunday, September 7, 2024, around 11:15 a.m.
Adaralewa disclosed that the suspect was caught while transporting the stolen valuables to metal scrap buyers.
Adaralewa revealed that items recovered from the suspect included 13 pieces of new stainless steel hand-washing basins, a pumping machine monitoring box, communication cables, three stainless trays, and four hand shovels.
“Discreet investigations revealed that the suspect was a former laborer employed by the building contractor during the school’s construction.
“He has been stealing from various buildings under construction for six years, selling the items to metal scrap buyers.”
Commandant Adaralewa stated that Sulaiman’s actions contravened Section 451 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 34, Law of Osun State, Nigeria.
He said, “This law makes it an offense to willfully and unlawfully destroy or damage property.”
The Commandant, who said that the suspect would face the full wrath of the law to serve as a deterrent to others who destroy government property, cautioned metal scrap buyers in the state to desist from buying stolen items.
He also warned that those found culpable would be dealt with according to the law.
