The Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU) in Anambra State says its security personnel have arrested two people for allegedly stealing the university property under the guise of scavenging.
NAU, popularly known as UNIZIK, is a federal university in Anambra State.
The university, in a statement posted on its official Facebook page on Sunday, identified the arrested suspects as Shehu Ibrahim and Sadiq Haruna.
“The suspects were arrested on Wednesday, 4 September 2025, following an investigation into the theft of an air conditioning unit from the university’s printing press,” the statement reads in part.
The statement quoted the university’s security department as saying that the suspects had been moving around campus, claiming to be scavengers, while in reality, they were targeting and stealing valuable institution’s equipment.
“The suspects were handed over to the appropriate law enforcement agency for prosecution in accordance with the law,” it added.
The university’s security department, according to the statement, reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding lives and property within the campus.
The department urged members of the university community to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities promptly for action.
Scavenging in Nigerian cities
The number of young Nigerians who are into scrap scavenging has increased due to growing economic hardship in the country.
But Nigerian authorities across states and cities have banned scavenging after criminals began to use it as a cover to commit crimes.
The then-governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, was among the first to rise to what has now become a nationwide challenge, when, in January 2022, banned cart-pushers from operating in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
Within the same period, his then-counterpart in Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel, equally banned scavenging in Akwa Ibom State, following the alleged killing of a resident of Uyo by two scrap scavengers.
Following widespread removal of manholes in Abuja by suspected scavengers, the Federal Capital Territory Administration, earlier this year, banned scavengers from operating in the capital city.
A Federal High Court in Abuja later validated the ban.