NRC hails court verdict jailing rail track vandals, raises alarm over fresh Kaduna power-line attack

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has applauded the judgment of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, which convicted and sentenced two railway vandals to two years imprisonment each for tampering with critical components of the Warri–Itakpe rail corridor.

The convicts, Mudansuru Mutari (27) and Blorie Kokori (39), were arrested around Kilometer 208 before Abraka in Delta State and later paraded by the Railway Police Command in Lagos. They were charged with vandalism and economic sabotage and subsequently found guilty under Section 36(6)(b) and Section 1(10) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap 17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2024.

Delivering the ruling, Hon. Justice A. I. Kala condemned the criminal act as a significant threat to national safety, stressing that the sentence should serve as a strong deterrent to others engaging in or contemplating similar offences.

Reacting to the verdict, NRC Managing Director/CEO, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, commended the Judiciary, the Railway Police Command, and other security agencies for their diligent investigation and successful prosecution.

“This judgment reinforces the Federal Government’s zero-tolerance stance on railway vandalism,” Opeifa said.

“The NRC will continue working with security agencies to ensure that anyone who attacks railway infrastructure faces the full weight of the law. Railway properties are national assets, not scraps.”

However, in a separate development, the Corporation expressed deep worry over a fresh vandalism incident involving the 33Kv electricity supply line powering the Rigasa Railway Station and the nearby railway village in Kaduna State.

According to NRC officials, vandals struck again just 60 days after the power line was restored, carting away vital components and plunging the station and its surrounding community back into darkness barely two years after the same line had previously been restored following a prolonged blackout.

NRC personnel discovered the latest damage in the early hours of Friday, confirming that the newly repaired infrastructure had once more been sabotaged by criminal elements.

Describing the situation as “regrettable and troubling,” Dr. Opeifa urged security agencies in Kaduna State to intensify surveillance and ensure that those responsible are apprehended and brought to justice.

He lamented the rising wave of attacks on railway assets nationwide, noting that such criminal acts disrupt operations and undermine the Corporation’s mandate to deliver safe, reliable, and efficient transportation services.

Despite the challenges, the NRC chief reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to providing dependable rail services under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Rail Agenda.

He also appealed to vandals and their collaborators to desist from endangering national infrastructure.

The Corporation assured passengers, host communities, and stakeholders of its unwavering resolve to protect railway assets and improve service delivery across all routes.