At least four suspects were arrested by the Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Luguard, for allegedly stealing metallurgical coal in Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi State.
The Commander, NNS Luguard, Moses Epelle, while parading the suspects in Lokoja, the state capital, told newsmen that the suspects were arrested on April 4, 2024, after a tip off that some unknown persons were stealing metallurgical coal near the company jetty.
“The four suspects gained access to the jetty through the water way on a wooden boat which was loaded with about 400 bags of the materials. They wanted to convey this materials to an unidentified destination.
“The gallant effort of officers of the Nigeria Navy on the water way in conjunction with the local vigilantes led to the arrest of the four suspects namely Abdulrazak Danjuma, Idris Abdullahi, Suleiman Ibrahim and Musa Muhammed,” he stated.
Epelle enjoined the management of Ajaokuta Steel Company to beef up the security architecture of the complex as the Nigerian Navy will continue to tackle criminal elements along the waterways of Kogi State.
Epelle noted that the four suspects will be handed over to the police for prosecution.
The Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, however, commended the efforts of the Nigerian Navy in combating activities of criminal elements in the state.
Ododo, represented by his Special Adviser on Media, Ismaila Isah, pointed out that the commitment of personnel of the Navy has led to improved security on the waterways and across the state with several arrests of criminals.
He equally lauded the collaboration among the Navy, police and other security agencies in the state.
The Governor affirmed that his administration has zero tolerance for criminal activities, adding that government will continue to make Kogi uninhabitable for miscreants who may wish to test the resolve of his administration against crime.
He called on the security agencies in the state to maintain the tempo against criminal elements in the state while urging citizens to be law abiding and to provide credible information to law enforcement agencies in the state.
The Governor also witnessed the handover of a suspected drug peddler arrested with substances suspected to be marijuana to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, at the NNS Lugard Base in Banda near Lokoja.
