We’ll stamp out railway vandalism, says NRC boss

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) under the leadership of the Managing Director, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, has expressed its resolve to expose all those behind vandalization of railway critical assets and stamp out the criminal act.

He disclosed this in a statement posted by Presidential Villa update on X after the arrest of two rail vandals in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, found with stolen 91 sleepers and 25 cut rails.

 NRC Deputy Director Public Relations, Mahmood Yakub, said the suspects were arrested by men of the North Central District and the Nigerian Railway Police Command.

It said the arrest followed intelligence reports of the discovery of a private apartment in Kafanchan, Jemaa Local Government Area Kaduna State, where the vandals were using as a hideout and a warehouse for the stolen materials.

In a renewed onslaught against vandalism of the nation’s railway assets, the police reportedly stormed the hideout and fished out the suspects.

 “The Railway Police Area Command Kafanchan stormed the premises and recovered some vandalized materials including 25 short rails and 91 sleepers stacked in two different buildings on the same premises,” the statement said. Opeifa commended the Railway DPO Kafanchan for tracking the suspects and the recovery of the track materials belonging to the NRC.

He appealed to “the people residing along the railway corridor to report any suspicious movement by those attempting to vandalise railway critical infrastructure and assets to any nearest law  enforcement agency.”

Meanwhile, the two suspects have been clamped into detention at the Railway Police Station, Kafanchan “as the police intensify efforts to round up other members of the gang said to be at large.

“All recovered materials are under the custody of the Railway District Police Station in Kafanchan as exhibits,” the statement added.