Zulum’s right to ban scavenging

THE wanton vandalism of public infrastructure by scavengers and their accomplices has become an act of economic sabotage that Nigeria can no longer afford to tolerate. From streetlights and manhole covers to power cables, bridge fittings, and communication equipment, scavengers and their accomplices are stripping public assets for scrap, often with brazen impunity. The consequences include crippling power outages, avoidable accidents, mounting repair costs and, in some cases, threats to human lives and national security.

Against this backdrop, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum’s renewed ban on metal scavenging and scrap trading is understandable. Those who profit from stripping public infrastructure must not hide behind legitimate commerce.

However, the ban must be enforced intelligently, backed by evidence and accompanied by measures that distinguish criminal operators from lawful scrap dealers.

Zulum was reportedly incensed by the theft of electrical wires from a N3 billion high-tension power distribution project linking Damaturu, Yobe State, to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The project is intended to restore regular electricity supply to the region. If confirmed, the theft represents a particularly brazen act of sabotage. Valuable infrastructure intended to improve people’s lives was allegedly destroyed for private gain, undermining public investment and prolonging the hardship caused by unreliable electricity.

More troubling are intelligence reports allegedly linking some scrap-metal trading networks to insurgents, who reportedly use dealers to dispose of looted metals. Zulum also lamented that some scavengers had lost their lives while venturing into dangerous areas. These allegations, if substantiated, point to a problem that extends beyond petty theft to the possible intersection of criminal commerce and terrorism.

The National Association of Scrap and Waste Dealers Employers of Nigeria, however, has challenged the governor to provide concrete evidence linking legitimate scrap dealers to the alleged cable theft.

Its Deputy National President, Aminu Soja, questioned the circumstances surrounding the incident and denied any connection between the association and Boko Haram or other terrorist groups. He accused the governor of risking the scapegoating of scrap dealers for the government’s failure to provide basic amenities and infrastructure.

The association’s objections deserve a response, but they do not diminish the gravity of the alleged theft. The government must establish the facts rather than allow suspicion to substitute for evidence.

It should disclose the project’s contractor, when the cables were supplied and installed, when the theft occurred and what investigations have established about the perpetrators and the possible destination of the stolen materials.

If criminal networks are involved, they should be identified and prosecuted. If legitimate dealers are implicated, the evidence should be made public through appropriate legal processes.

There is also a need to clarify the scope of the latest directive. Zulum banned metal scavenging across Borno’s 27 local government areas in July 2023 after reportedly encountering scrap materials, some allegedly belonging to the government, during an inspection in Maiduguri.

The government should explain whether the latest ban renews, strengthens or replaces that directive, and why the earlier measure failed to prevent the reported theft.

Nevertheless, legitimate businesses cannot be permitted to operate without safeguards simply because an outright ban threatens their livelihoods. Scrap recycling is a legitimate economic activity, but it must not become a convenient market for stolen public property.

Dealers should maintain verifiable records of suppliers and transactions, refuse suspicious materials and cooperate with security agencies. The government, in turn, should consider a regulated licensing system, traceability requirements and designated trading centres where these can be enforced effectively. Operators must also submit practical proposals for continuing their businesses without facilitating vandalism or insecurity.

The problem is not confined to Borno. Across Nigeria, vandals have turned public infrastructure into a quarry for quick profit, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for replacement and repairs.

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In September, reports emerged that sections of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road had suffered vandalism, including the removal of metal railings, reinforced manhole covers, protective barbed wire and steel fencing.

The Second Niger Bridge, inaugurated in early 2023, has also suffered the reported theft of expansion joints and railings. In Lagos, the Third Mainland Bridge and more than 4,000 manhole covers have been targeted by vandals.

The damage can be devastating. In 2024, the vandalism of transmission towers and lines along the Ahoada-Yenagoa corridor reportedly plunged parts of Bayelsa State into darkness for about four months.

In Abuja, security operatives recovered about 125 stolen manhole covers, solar streetlights, armoured cables and transformer components, among other items, during raids on the Dei-Dei Pantaker scrap market in January and February 2025.

These are not victimless crimes. A stolen manhole cover can leave a deadly trap for pedestrians and motorists, particularly during heavy rainfall when open drains become difficult to see.

Tampering with bridges can compromise safety, while the theft of power cables and transmission equipment disrupts essential services and imposes fresh costs on an already overstretched public purse.

Every stolen public asset represents a double loss: the value of what has been taken and the additional expense of restoring it.

Government responses must therefore go beyond occasional raids and sweeping prohibitions. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps should be adequately equipped and held accountable for protecting critical national infrastructure.

Security agencies must investigate not only the people who remove the materials but also the buyers, middlemen and financiers who create a ready market for stolen assets. Without such demand, much of the incentive to vandalise public infrastructure would disappear.

CCTV cameras and other appropriate surveillance systems should be installed at vulnerable sites, including bridges, transmission corridors and major public installations.

Scrap markets should be subjected to regular inspections, while dealers found knowingly handling stolen government property should face prosecution and appropriate penalties. Enforcement must be consistent enough to make the risks of this criminal trade outweigh its rewards.

Public enlightenment is equally necessary. Nigerians should understand that buying a stolen manhole cover or power cable is not a harmless bargain; it helps sustain a criminal chain that endangers lives and deprives communities of essential services. Residents should report suspicious activity and provide credible information to the authorities.

Zulum’s ban is defensible as an emergency response to a serious threat, but its success must be measured by whether it stops theft, protects infrastructure and improves security—not merely by the number of scavengers arrested or businesses shut down.

The government must enforce the law firmly, investigate the allegations transparently and protect legitimate operators from indiscriminate punishment.

Nigeria cannot continue spending scarce public funds on infrastructure only for vandals to dismantle it for scrap.

Those who steal public assets, those who knowingly buy them, and any criminal networks that facilitate the trade must face the full consequences of the law. Public infrastructure belongs to the people; its destruction must no longer be treated as a cheap and profitable enterprise.