The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said it has impounded two trucks conveying large quantities of stolen railway sleepers, arrested 12 suspected vandals and clamped down on two illegal warehouses with vandalised railway sleepers in the last two weeks.
A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the Corps, Olusola Odumosu revealed 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 local government area, Kaduna State and Agwan-Kuje village, Kadarko area in Keana local government area of Nasarawa State and at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp, Keffi- Abuja express way.
Odumosu said following intelligence report, the first five arrest was made when suspected vandals were loading vandalized and stolen railway sleepers at a bush in Nasarawa.
He said 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, with a forged copy of the Nigeria Railway scrap delivery paper retrieved from the suspects.
He said 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 vandalized railway sleepers concealed with rice chaff inside a J5 Boxer Bus.
Odumosu said 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 vandalized rail track irons, covered with a blue trampoline.
The spokesman disclosed that all the arrested suspects and the exhibits are subject to preliminary investigation by the Corps which will help to make further arrest and subsequent prosecution to reduce the rate of critical infrastructural vandalism in the affected territories.
He said citizens are advised to continually provide credible and useful information that will help in the arrest of vandals and criminals across the country, urging Nigerians with criminal intent of robbing the nation of its assets to desist as the Corps will not spare anyone caught in the act.
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
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