The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has achueved recent breakthroughs in the fight against railway infrastructure vandalism, with multiple arrests made in connection to incidents in Katsina and Niger States.
In the early hours of Friday, 11 July, 2025, nine suspects were apprehended for vandalising railway track components along the Sheme-Gusau rail corridor in Katsina State. The suspects were caught in the act at Sheme village while attempting to cart away railway steel sleepers. Prior to their arrest, they had already loosened bolts and nuts from 310 steel sleepers between Kilometres 1087 and 1088.
Three individuals were initially arrested and handed over to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at Faskari LGA Police Division. Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of six more suspects, bringing the total number in custody to nine.
“Legal advice has been sought from the Ministry of Justice in Kaduna State, and the suspects are to be arraigned before the Federal High Court, which has exclusive jurisdiction over such offences. In the interim, they will be remanded pending completion of legal formalities, with the NRC also exploring prosecution through the Civil Defence’s anti-vandalisation legal unit,” a statement from the NRC said.
Similarly, in Sakin Pawa, Niger State, statement reported that substantial progress in the investigation of another vandalism incident. On Monday, 14 July, 2025, three suspects were initially apprehended by local vigilantes in Sakin Pawa and handed over to the Police Division. Regrettably, one of the vigilantes was stabbed by the suspects during the arrest.
Further investigations revealed that the suspects had stolen over 1,200 pandrol clips and sold them to a receiver in Suleja. So far, only 15 clips have been recovered. A police team subsequently raided Suleja and arrested three more suspects, including: the alleged buyer of the stolen materials in Suleja; a suspected Railway staff member; and
a local individual linked to Sakin Pawa.
Investigators have also uncovered that the Suleja-based receiver transferred the stolen components to another suspect along the Abuja-Kaduna Road. Security agencies are currently working to locate and arrest the individual and recover the remaining materials.
“The NRC condemns these criminal acts in the strongest terms and reiterates its commitment to protecting the integrity of railway infrastructure across the nation. These acts of sabotage not only endanger lives but also disrupt national economic activities.
“We commend the swift action of the local communities, security operatives, and NRC personnel who contributed to these successful arrests. We urge the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity along our corridors. All culprits will be brought to justice, and further updates will be provided as investigations unfold,” the statement concluded.
