The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Niger State Command has launched a manhunt for three suspects believed to be involved in the theft of a communication mast.

The state Commandant, Mr. Elijah Etim, addressed reporters in Minna on Wednesday, denying any NSCDC involvement in the loss of the telecom mast.

Etim clarified, “The investigation had found that a scrap dealer named Bello Mustapha, assisted by two NSCDC personnel, was most likely involved in the crime.”

He refuted media allegations suggesting his complicity with the NSCDC officials in the removal and sale of the mast.

According to Etim, Mustapha approached two NSCDC members, one assigned to Niger command and the other to Kaduna State command, using falsified documents for cover to evacuate the mast located in Rafi Local Government Area.

He expressed the command’s shock at media reports claiming that the tower was confiscated by NSCDC personnel, and the commandant sold it, with some parts allegedly ending up in Lagos. Etim categorically stated, “It is not true.”