Police Arrests 13 Suspects For Rail Vandalism

The arrested suspects

Thirteen suspects have been apprehended by men attached to the Police Railway Command for allegedly vandalising rail irons and other facilities.

The suspects, according to the Commissioner of Police in charge of Railway Command, Mrs Yetunde Longe, were arrested between May and June in Kaduna, Niger and Ogun states.

She said Abubarkar Ayuba, 22, Musa Ibrahim, 17, Umar Bello, 18, Samaila Rabiu, 18, and Yahaya Abubakar, 18, were apprehended on May 12 at Abakwa, Kaduna while vandalising and carting away rail irons with a gas cylinder.

Longe said their arrest followed a tip-off by a civilian joint task force.

“Three suspects were similarly arrested for vandalism of standard gauge rail Pandrol clips, property of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC)/Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC).

“The suspects, Benedict Matthew, 20, Ismalia Ibrahim, 18, and Abdullahi Iliyasu, 20, were arrested on June 17. Exhibits recovered from them include: 10 sacks of vandalised standard gauge rail pandrol clip irons, measuring scale, and hammer.

“The Minna Division of the Railway Police Command also arrested three persons with 220 Pandrol clips. The suspects Abdulrazak Abubakar, Khamisu Abba, Abdulganiyu Abubakar were arrested at Kilometer 735, along Korota Village, Maikunkele Beji section.

“The Kafanchan Railway Police Division, upon credible information, also intercepted a truck loaded with vandalised railway iron rails tucked away in a bush at Unguwar Yawa Village, Zango Kataf Local Government Kaduna State. .

“In Abeokuta, at Alagada village axis, two men, Idowu Abiodun and David Titus, were apprehended by men of the Abeokuta division while vandalising rail tracks upon information by a member of the village,” Longe said.