Scavengers Stole Wires from a ₦3 Billion Power Line in Borno State, Zulum Says

Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum says metal scavengers stole all the wires from a power distribution line connecting Damaturu to Maiduguri, a project that cost more than ₦3 billion. He said the losses, security risks and deaths of hundreds of scavengers in unsafe villages led his administration to ban scrap-metal trading. Security intelligence, he added, indicates that insurgents use scrap-metal channels to sell looted materials. Zulum asked dealers to propose ways to continue operating without endangering security or public infrastructure, and said legitimate operators may retrieve scrap collected before the ban from designated locations.