CITY NEWS Artisan allegedly steals N2.5m Ministerial slot: FCT chiefs urge natives to shelve protest cable from construction site

The police in Gwarinpa have arrested an artisan for allegedly stealing electrical cables valued at about N2.5 million from a construction site at Katampe Extension.

Police sources said the suspect had been removing the cables from the site after installation over a period of two months.

A source said owner of the site reported at the Gwarinpa Police Station on Friday that some unknown persons had removed electrical cables from the construction site.

The Gwarinpa Divisional Police Officer, CSP Nuruddeen Sabo said the artisan, a mason, confessed to the crime during investigation.

He said the suspect identified only as AbdulRahman led detectives to where he disposed the cables in Niger State.

He said two people who bought the cables from the suspect were also arrested.

“Two people were arrested for allegedly receiving property suspected to be stolen and they confessed to have bought it for N266, 000,” he added. Traditional rulers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have appealed to natives to shelve their planned protest over the failure of the House of Representatives to pass a bill granting FCT natives a ministerial slot.

The natives had planned to block the Giri-Airport road before the intervention of the 17 traditional rulers led by the Ona of Abaji, Alhaji Adamu Baba Yunusa yesterday.

The traditional rulers met with the natives at the palace of the Chief of Garki, Alhaji Usman Nga- Kupi and assured them that they would meet with the FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello to address their grievances.

The traditional rulers urged them to select their representatives that would join them when they meet with the FCT minister.

Addressing news men shortly after meeting with the traditional rulers, the assistant coordinator of the Coalition of the FCT Indigenous Association, Dalhatu Ezikel, said the desire of the natives was to shut down Abuja, but for the intervention of the traditional rulers.

“But we want to pass this message very clear that it is very unfair for anybody to think that the natives of FCT belong nowhere,” he said.