NSCDC arrests 12 suspected rail track vandals, impounds trucks
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has arrested 12 individuals suspected of vandalising railway sleepers and seized two trucks carrying stolen railway sleepers.
According to a statement released by the NSCDC Director of Public Relations, Commandant Olusola Odumosu, the Corps also discovered two illegal warehouses containing large quantities of vandalised railway sleepers. These arrests were made during three separate operations within two weeks by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad.
“The arrests were made at Kafanchan- Kwoi Road, Kaduna State, and Agwan-Kuje village, Nasarawa and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp, Keffi-Abuja Expressway,” Odumosu said.
Odumosu explained that the vandals were arrested while they were loading stolen railway sleepers in a bush in Nasarawa based on intelligence reports received by the squad.
“A long open trailer already loaded with over 500 pieces of vandalised railway sleepers alleged to be owned by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) was also concealed under sacks of groundnut dust.
“Retrieved from the suspects was a forged copy of the NRC scrap delivering paper,” he said.
Odumosu also mentioned that the squad arrested three individuals who were transporting vandalised railway sleepers concealed with rice chaff in a bus along the Keffi-Abuja expressway. Additionally, four other suspected vandals were arrested while loading railway sleepers into an illegal warehouse that was already filled in Kaduna.
“Acting on an intelligence tip-off, the squad succeeded in intercepting another long open body truck fully loaded with a large quantity of vandalised rail track irons, covered with a blue trampoline,” he said.
Odumosu added that the arrested suspects and exhibits will be investigated further to aid in future arrests. He encouraged citizens to provide helpful information that would assist in the arrest of vandals across the nation to reduce the rate of critical infrastructural vandalism.
He cautioned individuals with criminal intentions of stealing the country’s assets to stop because the corps would take action against anyone found guilty of such criminal activity.
