Railway: 14 suspects arrested in connection with vandalism, robbery, others in April

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) police command has announced that it arrested 14 persons in connection with vandalisation, robbery and criminal conspiracy across the Nation in the month of April.

The Police Commissioner of NRC, CP Yetunde Longe stated this in a statement on Sunday.

CP Longe who reiterated the Inspector General’s resolve to ward off all criminal elements in the land, added that the command would stop at nothing to achieve the IG’s vision.

She therefore warned against criminal elements to desist from vandalising government’s properties especially the railways facilities saying whoever is caught in connection with such, would be dealt with in accordance with the extant laws

In the breakdown of the arrests, the CP said that on 1st April, 2022, the Kafanchan railway police division upon a tip off by a concerned citizen, intercepted a BUA Cement truck fully loaded with railway slippers along Bankin-Kaninkon-Kogi

She said that on sighting the police, the suspected vandals fled the scene abandoning the truck as exhibits were recovered.

Investigations however led to the arrest Ahmed Tanko ‘M’ of Dangoma Village Jam‘A  L.G.A Kaduna State who confessed to the crime, while the police are intensifying efforts to apprehend his accomplices who are still at large.

Similarly, on 27th of April 2022, the Kafanchan divisional headquarters also apprehended 6 suspected vandals loading multiple rail steels into two trucks- one of the trucks belonging to Dangote Cement Company.

According to the statement, the suspects namely Sergeant Sirajo Suileman of the Nigerian army central ammunition department, kaduna, Idris Bawa, Idris Musa, shamsu abdulahi, Anthony Moses, and Yunana Gaius, were allegedly caught in the act in a bush near Camuru Station, Kachia, LGA Kaduna state.

Also in Kano, three suspects- Abdukarim haruna, Hasssan dahiru, Bashir mumuhamed, were also apprehended by the Kano division of the Railway command. 51 railway slippers, 26 rail steels, and several quantities of destroyed rail iron rods and slippers were recovered from them. The suspects have been charged to court.

Dugbe Railway Police Division, Ibadan, Oyo state, also arrested a Man O’ War staff identified as Azeez Wahab with a BAGCO bag containing fifty (50) NRC tool bolts without a satisfactory account on how he found it. Similarly, the Offa division of the Railway Command in Kwara state also arrested One Ibukun of Railway Mechanical Department (Diesel Maintenance Section) for vandalism and stealing aluminum in one of the unused coaches within the train station premises; while the Minna divisional Headquarters also arrested one Aliyu for vandalizing railway clips in Minna, Niger state.

In another development, the Bodija Divisional Headquarters of the Railway Command in Ibadan on the 6th of April, 2022 arrested a 20-year-old armed robbery suspect identified as Abdulahi Fatai aka ‘Akube’. Investigations revealed that the case is connected to that of another armed robbery suspect who was earlier arrested in December 2021 while going for an operation.