By Brenda Chidinma Imo-Eze
The Ebonyi State Scrap Dealers Association, in collaboration with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Ebonyi State government has renewed efforts to curb vandalism across the state, pledging stronger cooperation, stricter monitoring, and improved regulation of scrap business activities.
The commitment was made during the 2026 Sensitization and Awareness Programme organized by the Ebonyi State Scrap Dealers Association in conjunction with all 13 Local Government Chapters, held in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
With the theme “Say No to Vandalism of Government and Individual Property,” the Commissioner for Environment, Hon. Victor Chukwu, represented by the Director of Administration Mr. Chibuisi Emegha, stressed the need for proper regulation and identification of genuine scrap dealers to curb criminal activities linked to the trade.
He noted that government remains concerned about the growing cases of vandalism and the losses it causes to public assets.
“Government is not happy with vandalization. No government will be happy with it. Public infrastructure should be respected and protected. When it is vandalized, it is an enormous loss to the state government,” he said.
Emegha explained that the ministry had introduced a profiling exercise for scrap dealers, aimed at capturing details such as names, business locations, local government areas, and contact information.
According to him, the database would help security agencies distinguish legitimate operators from criminals.
“This will help us identify genuine dealers. If a person is arrested with vandalized items and their name is not in our register, they will be treated as criminals. If their name is there, we will know we are dealing with a bad egg within the organization,” he added.
He, however, expressed concern that the association had yet to return the completed forms required for the profiling exercise.
“Up till now, we are still waiting for them to return the forms. It is very critical. We need them to build a directory that will be shared with the Police, Civil Defence, the association, and task force marshals,” he said.
Emegha called for stronger collaboration between the ministry and the association, urging members to embrace transparency in their operations.
Speaking on behalf of the NSCDC Commandant, Ebonyi State Command, the Commandant of the Anti-Vandal Unit, Ezebuilo Pascal, emphasized the importance of scrap dealers in society while warning against illegal trade in stolen materials.
“Our statutory mandate is protecting critical national infrastructure and assets. Scrap dealers play a vital role in society. Without scrap dealers, the society would be messed up,” he said.
He warned that the demand for stolen materials fuels vandalism.
“If vandals know there is no market for stolen items, vandalism will stop. It is the acceptability of the market that encourages vandalism,” he stated.
Pascal outlined key responsibilities expected of scrap dealers, including proper record keeping, identity verification of sellers, reporting suspicious items, and refusal to purchase suspected stolen goods.
He also listed restricted items such as electric cables, transformer components, telecommunication materials, railway parts, water pipes, oil and gas equipment, and security installations.
“Buying from unauthorized individuals is illegal and you will be treated as an accomplice,” he warned.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Ebonyi State Scrap Dealers Association, Chief Nwigwe Henry Ejike, reaffirmed the association’s commitment to eliminating vandalism.
“Our position on vandalism is clear: we are totally against vandalization of government and individual property,” he said.
He noted that vandalism threatens the survival of the scrap business, as government restrictions often follow such incidents.
“When government property is vandalized, it often leads to a ban on our business, and we have no other means of feeding our families,” he said.
Ejike pledged that the association would identify and hand over any member involved in criminal activity.
“Any ‘Judas’ among us will be fished out and handed over to security agencies,” he said.
He confirmed that the association is complying with the government’s directive on profiling members and warned against refusal to register.
“Anyone hiding from profiling has something to hide. If you are legitimate, profile with the government,” he added.
He further disclosed that the association has been working with security agencies to reduce vandalism in the state.
Also speaking, the Public Relations Officer of the association, Ngwuta Joseph Ifeanyi, said the sensitization programme had helped correct misconceptions among members.
“Many of us bought items unknowingly because we were not sensitized,” he said.
He added that members now understand what materials are prohibited and the legal consequences of dealing in stolen goods.
A member of the association’s task force, Ifeanyi Ogbonna, said collaboration with security agencies had already yielded significant results.
He said several arrests had been made, including a case involving stolen steel materials from a government project which is currently before the court.
Ogbonna assured that the association would continue working with security agencies to curb vandalism across the state.