NSCDC arrests suspected rail line vandals in Enugu

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Enugu State Command, has arrested a four-man vandalism gang that specialises in vandalising rail line materials within Enugu State.

The NSCDC Command’s Public Relations Officer, CSC Denny Manuel, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Enugu.

Manuel said that the suspected vandals were arrested on April 19 by a combined team of NSCDC operatives and Hunters and Forest Security Services at locations within Aninri Local Government Area of the state.

“The kingpin of the group, who gave his name as Monday Onyeabor, 31, was arrested by a combined team of the Corps operatives and hunters/forest security group while in possession of two railway slippers at Mmafu community in Aninri Local Government Area.

“During interrogation, Onyeabor gave the names of the other three members of his gang as Ejike Ogbonna, 27, Amobi Okolie, 27, and Chukwuka Ekwe, 27, all from Oduma in the same Aninri Local Government Area.

“Based on his statement, a manhunt for the three was mounted which resulted in their arrest.

“One of the arrested suspects, Amobi Okolie, claimed to be innocent of the crime, but confessed that he has sometimes in the recent past assisted other suspects in transporting vandalised materials, which at that time he claimed was unknown to him to be products of vandalism.

“Okolie, however, was found to be in possession of syringes and a pipe which he confessed he used in sniffing the infamous Methamphetamine, popularly known in the local parlance as Mkpurummiri.

“Also recovered from the suspect are a cutlass and a motorcycle,” he said.

The NSCDC spokesman also said that investigation had been intensified by the Corps to unravel other culprits in the chain of this ‘unholy trade.’

He said that the state’s NSCDC Commandant, Mr Valentine Afrika, had re-emphasised the resolve of the Corps in the state to get rid of all unwanted elements.

Manuel quoted the Commandant as saying, “The Corps will continually deal ruthlessly with all those vandalising or tampering with government infrastructure.

“I also call on members of the public to always assist security agencies with credible information on activities of criminals, especially public infrastructure vandals in the state.”