The Nigerian Railway Corporation Police Command has arrested a 32-year-old man in Kaduna for allegedly receiving stolen railway materials and leading a network involved in vandalising railway infrastructure.
The Managing Director of the NRC, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, announced the arrest in a statement issued on Friday in Lagos and signed by the Chief Public Relations Officer, Callistus Unyimadu.
Opeifa described the arrest as a major step forward in the corporation’s fight against vandalism, noting that a trailer loaded with railway components was also intercepted in Plateau State during the same operation.
“In Kaduna, the suspect, apprehended around Rigasa, confessed to buying stolen NRC electrical cables for ₦90,000 from vandals,” Opeifa said.
He explained that the arrest followed intelligence reports about vandalised electrical installations along the Mando–Rigasa corridor on Tuesday, October 14. He added that investigations are ongoing to track others linked to the crime.
In a related operation, police operatives attached to the NRC intercepted a trailer loaded with large quantities of railway materials along KM 822–823, Forom axis, in Plateau State.
“The truck, abandoned by its driver who fled the scene, was towed to the Jos Railway Police Station on Wednesday, October 15,” Opeifa said.
He commended the Nigeria Police for their swift action and intelligence-led operation, saying the arrests showed the renewed cooperation between the NRC and security agencies in safeguarding national assets.
Opeifa stressed that vandalism of railway facilities amounts to economic sabotage and warned that the corporation would not tolerate such acts.
He also urged residents of railway host communities to remain alert and report any suspicious activities near railway installations.
“The railway system is a key part of national development, and protecting it must be a collective effort,” he said.
