The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has lamented the little fine stipulated in the law for defaulters to pay when arrested for vandalising government property.
Wike cried out that criminals will have to pay as little as N10,000 as fine when arrested for vandalising government property such as street lights, manhole covers among others.
Wike spoke in Abuja at the Ministerial Sectoral Updates as part of activities to mark President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s one year in office.
The first session of the Sectoral Briefing has in attendance the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu; Minister of FCT, Mr. Nyesom Wike; Minister of Youth Development, Jamila Ibrahim Bio; Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu; Minister of State for FCT, Mariya Mahmud; Minister of State Petroleum, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and Minister of State for Youth Development, Mr Ayodele Olawande
“For example, the street lights. If you put street lights, at midnight they remove them. They vandalise it and cut the cables. If you arrest them to prosecute them, what does the law say? N10,000. So they continue,” the minister said.
“As I’ve told the National Assembly, this time, they’ve to come to my rescue. They have to review the law to make it very tough so that if you’re caught, there’s no option of fine and if there’s an option of fine, the money will be too high.
“Most of the contractors who supply these cables sell them back to them. These are criminals everywhere. So, we’re taking care of all this.”