4 Pipeline Vandals, Including A Ghanaian & A Beninoise Arrested After Offering N520,000 Bribe To Anti-vandalism Police

A Ghanaian and three Beninoise have been arrested by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Special Task Force on Anti-Pipeline Vandalisation, after allegedly attempting to bribe the operatives with N520,000 to allow them siphon petroleum product from pipelines in Epe area of Lagos.
One of the suspects, during preliminary investigation, confessed that members of Akaraba community in Epe were engaged in the illegal act, according to the officer in charge of the task force, Friday Ibadin, an Assistant Commissioner of Police.

The suspects whose identities were given as Fufo Soglo (Ghanaian), Christopher Suso, Matilda Idowu and Yovo Itoh, all Beninoise, were reportedly arrested at a police tent in Atlas Cove, weekend.
Following the policemen’s increasing surveillance around pipeline installations in Epe which has been hindering their work, some members of the community decided to contribute money to give to policemen to allow them unhindered access, 50-year-old Maltida Idowu who admitted being the group’s treasurer told newsmen.

“One Chukwuma called me to raise N1 million from members of our community to bribe policemen. We levied ourselves N50,000 each and I decided to do the collection. But at the end I was able to raise only N500,000 from 10 persons while I paid N20,000, thereby totalling N520,000. When we contacted Chukwuma, he told me to bring the money to the police tent at Atlas Cove,” Idowu said.
The suspects were said to have been apprehended at Atlas Cove where they planned bribing the policemen.
Ibadin said the policemen led by the Sector Commander, Lagos, Onaghise Osayande, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, played along with the vandals when they offered to bribe them.
“They got four of them arrested while they were about to handover the N520,000 to them. We recovered valves with 12 different holes connected to it from them. With this kind of technological connection, these vandals can siphon over 50,000 litres in less than 30 minutes.
“We are working with the village heads to sort out members of the community who are actually in the business and prosecute them accordingly,” Ibadin said.