Scrap dealers counter Zulum over alleged N3bn cable theft in Borno
The National Association of Scrap and Waste Dealers Employers of Nigeria (NASWDEN) has challenged Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, to provide evidence to support his allegation that scrap metal scavengers…
Cable and transformer vandalism has long plagued power infrastructure across northern Nigeria, with utility companies and state governments repeatedly blaming scrap metal dealers and scavengers for dismantling electrical installations to resell copper and aluminium components. Borno State, still rebuilding infrastructure after years of Boko Haram insurgency, has seen several power projects disrupted by theft and sabotage, making electricity supply a recurring flashpoint between the state government and residents.
This dispute centres on Governor Babagana Zulum's claim that scavengers were responsible for stripping cables from a power line project valued at N3bn, an allegation the National Association of Scrap and Waste Dealers Employers of Nigeria (NASWDEN) has publicly rejected. Both Daily Trust and Punch report that the association is demanding Zulum substantiate the claim with evidence, framing it as a direct challenge to the governor rather than a simple denial. Neither outlet's coverage indicates what evidence, if any, the state government has presented, nor whether any arrests or investigations have followed the alleged theft.