The Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Annex Lagos, says it received 1,816 complaints and arrested four suspects linked to the vandalism of telecommunications infrastructure worth N150 million over a three-month period.
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police overseeing the annex, Simeon Akpanudom, disclosed this at a press briefing held at the FCID’s Lagos premises on Friday, September 18, 2026, where he gave an account of the department’s recent casework and operational activities.
According to Akpanudom, nine of the complaints received were referred to state Commissioners of Police and other formations for action, while four were dismissed as civil matters falling outside the department’s jurisdiction. The bulk of the caseload, 1,803 complaints, was forwarded for investigation and reporting, and 24 cases have since been concluded and taken through the courts, with the remainder still moving through investigation, legal vetting and advisory stages.
Among the cases highlighted was a petition received on August 11 alleging that armed hoodlums had attacked, robbed and vandalised telecommunications facilities belonging to ATC Telecommunications Nationwide across parts of the South-East and Lagos between March and May. The stolen equipment, comprising modules, solar batteries, solar panels and generators, was valued at N150 million. Akpanudom said operatives from the FCID’s Special Weapons and Tactics unit traced and arrested four suspects, aged between 17 and 28, at a shop in the Kosofe area of Lagos, recovering two surveillance cameras, 52 solar batteries, three small solar panels, two solar meters, a hammer and a chisel in the process. He added that efforts were continuing to track down other members of the alleged syndicate still at large, and that those already in custody would be arraigned in court.
The AIG also detailed a separate investigation into a case of conspiracy, shop breaking, malicious damage, and dealing in stolen property, which stemmed from a petition filed by a trader at Ojota, Lagos, following a burglary at his shop on May 19. Goods valued at roughly N20 million were taken, including 90 mobile phones, 42 smart watches, two Oraimo speakers, 105 power banks and other phone accessories, while the burglars also damaged seven CCTV cameras, shop glass fittings and the entrance door. Four suspects, three men and a woman, were subsequently arrested in connection with receiving the stolen items, and detectives recovered three phones, a power bank, three generators and other electronics. Akpanudom said the suspects admitted to selling most of the stolen phones and accessories to a cross-border buyer.
On a broader note, the AIG disclosed that INTERPOL had rescued 36 victims of human trafficking during the reporting period, with efforts ongoing to apprehend those responsible. He further noted that 17 personnel had completed specialised training aimed at strengthening the annex’s investigative capacity, alongside improvements to infrastructure, personnel welfare and stakeholder collaboration to enhance service delivery.
Akpanudom assured the public that suspects found culpable at the conclusion of investigations would be prosecuted in line with existing laws, and urged residents to continue supplying the police with timely and credible information to aid crime prevention efforts.
