Troops arrest 12 suspected rail track vandals in Nasarawa

Troops of 4 Special Forces Command in Doma, Nasarawa State, have arrested 12 suspected rail track vandals at an abandoned railway s…

Troops of 4 Special Forces Command in Doma, Nasarawa State, have arrested 12 suspected rail track vandals at an abandoned railway station in the state.

The suspects were arrested at Angwan Yara and Agyaragu communities in Keana Local Government Area of the state.

The acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 4 Special Forces Command, Doma, Major Joseph Adekunle Afolasade, disclosed this Friday while handing over the suspects to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in the state.

Afolashade, who carried out the handover ceremony on behalf of the commander of the command, Major-General Oluyinka Soyele, said the troops intercepted and arrested five suspects of rail track vandals during a routine patrol on June 15.

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“The suspects were arrested in connection with the vandalism of tracks in large quantities, which were loaded in two 12-tyre trucks. Subsequently, during the course of further investigation, prominent citizens within Lafia and Jos, Plateau State, were mentioned as members of the syndicate,” he said.

According to him, during investigation process carried out, troops further conducted another raid operation at the residence of one of the kingpins, which led to the arrest of seven other suspects.

“The suspects were all profiled and administered cautionary statements, after which written statements were obtained from them to ascertain their level of involvement. Subsequently, they were individually interrogated and cross-examined,” he said.

Major Afolasade, however, stated that the suspects, who confessed to the crime, claimed that they were deceived by the kingpins, who informed them that they had the approval from the federal government, Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) and some security agencies to vandalise and convey the tracks to Jos.

The acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations 4 Special Forces Command, Doma, Major Adekunle said the suspects made several attempts to bribe the soldiers with the sum of five million naira to avoid being arrested, adding that the troops of the command declined  and carried out their duties diligently by refusing to take bribe as a trained special forces soldiers.

“May I also add that a lot of vandalised tracks are still left at the spot of their arrest waiting to be evacuated by these criminals,” he said.

He urged the relevant authorities to make adequate arrangements to secure the rail tracks, revealing that two other suspected rail vandals had earlier been arrested on June 5, 2023.

He maintained that the suspects and exhibits were subsequently transferred to the Nigeria Police Criminal Investigations Department; Lafia for further action, noting that the command would not rest till Nasarawa State and its environs is free from all criminal elements across the 13 local government areas of the state.

Meanwhile, the deputy commandant of the NSCDC in the state, Efere Joseph, while receiving all the suspects from the 4 Special Forces Command, appreciated the Army for the collaboration to tackle the state of insecurity in the state.

He assured that all the suspects would be charged to court for prosecution after investigation to serve as a deterrent to others.