NSCDC arrests 12 vandals, recovers stolen assets in Kaduna
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested 12 suspects in connection with the vandalisation of railway infrastructure and the theft of other critical national assets in Kaduna State. The arrests followed the circulation of a viral video showing extensive destruction of newly laid Kaduna-Kano railway tracks and older rail lines in […]
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested 12 suspects in connection with the vandalisation of railway infrastructure and the theft of other critical national assets in Kaduna State.
The arrests followed the circulation of a viral video showing extensive destruction of newly laid Kaduna-Kano railway tracks and older rail lines in parts of Northern Nigeria.
Speaking during a press briefing, Assistant Commandant of Corps (ACC) Babawale Zaid Afolabi, the National Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC, represented by SC Terzungwe Orndiir, said the operation was carried out on the directive of the Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi,
According to him, the CG had directed the Corps’ Special Intelligence Squad (SIS) and the Kaduna State Command to identify and apprehend those responsible for the sabotage.
The NSCDC said weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering led operatives to a syndicate allegedly operating from the premises of Inner Galaxy Steel Company’s Kaduna branch located in Birnin Yero, Igabi Local Government Area.
According to the corps, the suspects allegedly used the company as a cover to receive vandalised railway tracks, railway slippers, NNPC pipelines and Water Board installations supplied by vandals.
The stolen materials were reportedly compressed into scraps at the Kaduna facility and transported to Aba, Abia State, where they were allegedly melted and recycled into nails and iron rods.
The corps described the activities of the syndicate as economic sabotage that had caused huge losses to the Federal Government.
Those arrested include Usman Hassan, 27, company manager; Bilyaminu Usman, 30, weighbridge operator; Choji John Pam, 40, weighbridge officer; Jamilu Isah Jaafar, 37, scrap collector; Chukwuemeka Udonwoke, 38, supervisor; Chikwodilli Ezema, 29, company manager; and Isaac Etim, 36, scrap leader.
The NSCDC said all 12 suspects are currently in custody and are being investigated for alleged criminal conspiracy, unlawful possession of vandalised property and receiving stolen items.
Items recovered during the operation include large quantities of vandalised railway tracks and slippers, suspected NNPC and Water Board pipes, as well as specialised machines allegedly used for compressing and concealing the stolen materials.
In a related development, the CG’s SIS and the Kaduna State Command also arrested five suspects for alleged vandalism of railway tracks along the Kaduna-Abuja corridor in Gwagwada community, Chikun Local Government Area.
Exhibits recovered from the suspects include railway tracks, railway slippers and gas cylinders allegedly used in cutting and destroying the infrastructure.
The Commandant General commended officers of the SIS and the Kaduna State Command for the successful operation and warned that the corps would sustain its crackdown on syndicates involved in infrastructure vandalism across the country.