By; RAYMOND TEDUNJAYE, Lagos
At least, 12 suspects have been nabbed in connection with the vandalisation of large quantities of railway sleepers by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) within two weeks.
Two trucks loaded with the consignment were also impounded, while two illegal warehouses with vandalised railway sleepers were sealed within the same period.
Director, Public Relations of the Corps Olusola Odumosu, a Commandant of Corps, made the disclosure in a release on Sunday.
According to him, the arrests were made during three separate operations by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’s SIS) at Kafanchan- Kwoi Road, Jama’a LGA, Kaduna State and Agwan-Kuje village, Kadarko area in Keana LGA of Nasarawa State and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp, Keffi- Abuja express way.
” Following intelligence report, the first five arrest was made when suspected vandals were loading vandalized and stolen railway sleepers at a bush in Nasarawa.
“;A long open body Man Diesel trailer already loaded with over 500 pieces of vandalized railway sleepers alleged to be owned by the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) was also concealed under sacks of groundnut dust.
“Retrieved from the suspects was a forged copy of the Nigeria Railway scrap delivery paper”, Odumosu hinted.
In another operation at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp, Keffi-Abuja express way, three suspected vandals were also arrested while conveying large quantities of vandalized railway sleepers concealed with rice chaff inside a J5 Boxer Bus.
Another four suspected vandals were arrested by the CG’s SIS while loading railway sleepers into an already filled illegal warehouse in Kaduna.
Acting on a tip-off, the squad immediately swung into action and succeeded in intercepting one white long open body truck fully loaded with large quantities of vandalized rail track irons, covered with a blue trampoline.
All the arrested suspects and the exhibits are subject to preliminary investigation by the Corps which will help to make further arrest and subsequent prosecution to reduce the rate of critical infrastructural vandalism in the affected territories.
Citizens are advised to continually provide credible and useful information that will help in the arrest of vandals and criminals across the country.
Likewise, citizens with criminal intent of robbing the nation of its assets are advised to desist as the Corps will not spare anyone caught in the act.
