NSCDC Arrests 267 For Rail Vandalism, Convicts 16 Offenders

NSCDC Arrests 267 For Rail Vandalism, Convicts 16 Offenders

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has described Kaduna State as the leading state for rail vandalism in Nigeria.

This highlights a significant rise in incidents of theft and damage to railway infrastructure in the state, raising concerns about the impact on transportation and security.

The spokesperson for the NSCDC, Babawale Afolabi disclosed this to our correspondent on Friday.

According to Afolabi, the NSCDC has arrested over 267 individuals involved in railway vandalism in the past three years.

Notably, 189 of these arrests were made by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad.

Kaduna State, in particular, has seen numerous incidents of vandalism.

One notable example of the problem is the recent arrest of 47 suspected rail track vandals by troops of the Nigerian Army’s One Division in Kaduna State. The suspects were apprehended along the Kakau Daji-Anguwan Ayaba area in Chikun Local Government Area on June 26, 2024.

“In the last three years, more than 267 railway vandals were arrested by the NSCDC, with most of the arrests made by the agile CG Special Intelligence Squad (189). Sixteen convictions so far.

“Curiously, most of these arrests were made within Nasarawa–Niger– Kaduna-Abuja–Plateau axis. Majorly Kaduna State is the most targeted state by these railway vandals,” he noted.

Afolabi called on the Federal Government to create a specialised team of investigators to accelerate the legal process, which he described as currently too slow.