Police Arrest 15 Suspected Railway Vandal In Niger State

No fewer than five railway track vandals were recently apprehended by police operatives in Niger State.

The vandals were among fifteen (15) criminal suspects paraded on Friday, March 1, at the police headquarters in Minna, the state capital.

While parading the suspects, the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP. Shawulu Danmamman mentioned that the suspected vandals were caught with a trailer loaded with railway tracks and slippers believed to have been stolen from Katarma village in Kaduna.

Naija News understands that the suspects were intercepted by the military personnel at Sarkin-Pawa and subsequently handed the trailer over to the Police Division at Sarkin-Pawa.

CP. Danmamman reiterated the Niger State Police Command’s dedication to combating and minimizing crime in the region.

The suspects, Adekunle Saheed, 44yrs of Oyo State, and Saifullahi Umar, 30yrs of Katsina State, during interaction with newsmen, gave conflicting information regarding their involvement in the crime, Naija News reports.

While Adekunle Saheed admitted ignorance of the content in the trailer, the driver, Saifullahi, said he was leading the trailer to the destination.

The railway transportation sector in Nigeria has faced significant challenges leading to its decline, with issues such as insecurity, inadequate funding, and vandalism hindering efforts to revitalize the industry.

A recent report revealed that the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) reported the theft of more than 150,000 rail clips by suspected vandals along railway tracks nationwide between 2022 and 2023, dealing a severe blow to the sector’s progress.

Furthermore, individuals involved in criminal activities, including suspected armed bandits and thieves, have been apprehended in various incidents, such as the recovery of an AK-47 rifle in the Pissa District of Borgu Local Government Area and the arrest of ex-convicts attempting to steal a vehicle in Minna.