A total of 300 persons arrested across different parts of Nigeria for vandalising rail tracks are currently undergoing prosecutions at different courts, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has disclosed.
In recent time, security operatives have nabbed cartels who specialise in removing long rails and sleepers in what stakeholders described as a new wave of sabotaging government effort to revive the moribund train service in the country.
Last August, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) paraded 13 suspected railway vandals who were arrested with large quantities of long rails and sleepers worth N800 million.
Managing Director of NRC, Engr. Fidet Okhiria, disclosed that security agencies are currently prosecuting 300 of those arrested and were transported to Lagos.
Speaking in Lagos during a tour of the railway facilities by the Minister of Transportation, Senator Ahmed Saidu Alkali, he explained that the corporation will soon recommence operations on the narrow gauge after they were halted due to security challenges.
Engr. Okhiria said, “We are operating the narrow gauge before now and because of security issues we had to stopped, now we are trying to recommence, we have done inspections, those areas we had vandalisation are going to be treated and we have given ourselves one month to do that and at the same time we are going to bring the wagons that are abandoned here and there, service them and put them on the track.”
He added that “On the container wagons we have about 120 which we think is enough for us to start with. Government has been proactive and have placed others for locomotive and rolling stock through CCECC, the only challenges now is that they have not gotten their advance payment and the Minister has promised to look into it.”
300 undergoing prosecution for rail track vandalism – NRC
