Vandals who damaged and stole transmission cables throwing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) into darkness will learn their lessons, the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has said.

At a media chat on Sunday evening, a furious Wike said some suspects have been arrested in connection with the crime.

He said the arrested persons would not be charged with stealing but economic sabotage.

The minister said the vandals are threatening the stability of the nation’s capital city and would be punished severely for the crime.

According to him, the suspect won’t come out of the litigation till they are convicted of the crime.

Wike said, “They vandalised, stole the cables, for over 60% of Abuja to be dark. Sabotage! By the grace of God, the security agencies are on top of the matter. We’ve arrested some of them and I can tell you: all of those that are involved will never come out of it and people will learn lessons from it.

“We won’t charge you with stealing; we will charge you with economic sabotage. Enough is enough. Nobody will take this. Nobody who loves his country will accept what is going on.”

Wike urged FCT residents to be involved in the policing of the nation’s capital by reporting suspicious activities.

Last Friday, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) attributed the power outage in Abuja to the vandalism of its 132kV transmission line and underground cables.

Areas affected include Wuse, Utako, Jabi, Maitama, Lifecamp, Asokoro, Mabushi, and parts of the Presidential Villa, which houses President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.