The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has directed the Attorney General of the Federation to strengthen legislation that will criminalize the theft of government assets under the cover of darkness, Information Minister Mohammed Idris announced on Monday.

The directive came during a closed-door FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu, as the government seeks to address the growing problem of critical infrastructure theft across the country.

According to Idris, the Council expressed serious concern about the increasing activities of scrap metal vendors, miners, and cart pushers who illegally remove and sell government assets, particularly metallic components from roads, bridges, and other public infrastructure.

"There's an increased activity that government has noted where people go, especially under the cover of night. They will remove some of these government assets—iron, metals, and scraps—and then go to sell them to other individuals who in turn recycle them and bring them back to the market," the minister explained.

While acknowledging that some laws already exist to address such crimes, Idris noted that the government is looking to strengthen the legal framework. "The federal government is already mulling the possibility of criminalizing this. Of course, we already have some of these laws in existence, but we are looking at them in depth," he said.

The Attorney General has been tasked with reviewing existing legislation and proposing amendments or new laws that would more effectively deter and punish those who damage or steal public infrastructure assets.

This initiative comes as Nigeria continues to invest in infrastructure development while facing challenges in maintaining existing public assets against vandalism and theft.

The government has not yet provided a timeline for when the strengthened legislation might be presented to the National Assembly for consideration.