Over ten suspected vandals infiltrated Government Unity School, Ringim, in Jigawa State, early on Thursday morning, overpowering security guards on duty and severing critical power infrastructure.
The gang targeted three guards positioned at various points within the premises before stealing 12 metres of 75mm² armoured cable connected to the school’s main transformer. The stolen equipment, valued between ₦900,000 and ₦1.05 million, has left the institution completely without power.
Confirming the break-in, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Jigawa State Command, ASC Badruddeen Tijjani, disclosed that officers from the Ringim Divisional Office responded following a distress call from the school. Investigators gathered physical evidence from the scene to assist in tracking down the gang.
Reacting to the incident, the NSCDC State Commandant, CC Muhammad Ingawa, condemned the crime, describing it as a “criminal assault on critical national assets and infrastructure.”
Commandant Ingawa ordered an immediate, intensive manhunt for the culprits, promising that “all persons connected with the crime will be arrested and prosecuted before a court of competent jurisdiction.” He further reiterated the corps’ core mandate, stating that “the NSCDC remains unwavering in its mandate to protect critical national assets and infrastructure in Jigawa State” across all 27 local government areas.
This latest raid forms part of a troubling pattern of infrastructural theft across Jigawa State, following a recent operation in Hadejia where tip-offs helped law enforcement recover stolen streetlight cables valued at over ₦1.8 million.
Following the attack, security authorities called on school guards and night watchmen to exercise heightened vigilance and promptly report unusual activity. Commandant Ingawa urged local residents to support security operations by sharing timely intelligence, noting that “members of the public should provide timely information that will assist security agencies in preventing and combating vandalism.”