The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC has arrested 12 suspected railway vandals and impounded two trucks conveying large quantities of stolen railway sleepers. This was as the operatives clamped down on two illegal warehouses containing vandalised railway sleepers. The arrests were made during three separate operations by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’s SIS) at Kafanchan- Kwoi Road, Jama’a LGA, Kaduna State and Agwan-Kuje village, Kadarko area in Keana LGA of Nasarawa State and National Youth Service Corps NYSC orientation camp, Keffi- Abuja express way.
Director, Public Relations at the NSCDC National Headquarters in Abuja, Commandant Olusola Odumosu in a statement said following intelligence report, the first five arrest was made when suspected vandals were loading vandalized railway sleepers in a bush in Nasarawa. “A long open body Man Diesel trailer already loaded with over 500 pieces of vandalized railway sleepers alleged to be owned by the Nigeria Railway Corporation NRC was also concealed under sacks of groundnut dust. Retrieved from the suspects was a forged copy of the Nigeria Railway scrap delivery paper.
“In another operation at the National Youth Service Corps NYSC orientation camp, Keffi-Abuja express way, three suspected vandals were also arrested while conveying large quantities of vandalised railway sleepers concealed with rice chaff inside a J5 Boxer Bus. Another four suspected vandals were arrested by the CG’s SIS while loading railway sleepers into an already filled illegal warehouse in Kaduna”. He said, acting on a tip-off, the squad immediately swung into action and succeeded in intercepting one white long open-body truck fully loaded with large quantities of vandalised rail track irons, covered with a blue trampoline. According to him, all arrested suspects and exhibits are subject to preliminary investigations by the Corps which will help to make further arrests and subsequent prosecution to reduce the rate of critical infrastructural vandalism in the affected territories.
“Citizens are advised to continually provide credible and useful information that will help in the arrest of vandals and criminals across the country. Likewise, citizens with criminal intent of robbing the nation of its assets are advised to desist as the Corps will not spare anyone caught in the act”, said Odumosu.
