KADUNA — The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested 12 persons for alleged involvement in the vandalism of railway infrastructure and other critical national assets in Kaduna State.
The arrests followed the circulation of a viral video showing widespread destruction of newly installed Kaduna-Kano railway tracks and old rail facilities across parts of Northern Nigeria.
Addressing journalists in Kaduna, the Assistant Commandant of Corps (ACC), Babawale Zaid Afolabi, represented by the Corps Public Relations Officer, SC Terzungwe Orndiir, said the operation was carried out on the directive of the Commandant General of the NSCDC, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi.
According to him, the NSCDC boss ordered the Corps’ Special Intelligence Squad (SIS), in collaboration with the Kaduna State Command, to track down individuals allegedly linked to the sabotage of critical infrastructure.
Afolabi said weeks of intelligence gathering and covert operations led operatives to a syndicate allegedly operating from the premises of Inner Galaxy Steel Company’s Kaduna branch located at Birnin Yero in Igabi Local Government Area.
He alleged that the suspects used the facility as a collection point for vandalised railway components, railway sleepers, NNPC pipelines, and Kaduna State Water Board installations supplied by scrap dealers and vandals.
The NSCDC further alleged that the recovered materials were processed into scraps at the Kaduna facility before being transported to Aba, Abia State, where they were smelted and converted into nails and iron rods.
The corps described the activities of the syndicate as a major act of economic sabotage which had caused huge losses to the Federal Government and threatened public infrastructure.
Suspects and Recovered Exhibits
Those arrested, according to the NSCDC, include:
- Usman Hassan, 27 — company manager
- Bilyaminu Usman, 30 — weighbridge operator
- Choji John Pam, 40 — weighbridge officer
- Jamilu Isah Jaafar, 37 — scrap collector
- Chukwuemeka Udonwoke, 38 — supervisor
- Chikwodilli Ezema, 29 — company manager
- Isaac Etim, 36 — scrap leader
The corps said all 12 suspects are currently in custody and undergoing investigation over alleged criminal conspiracy, unlawful possession of vandalised property, and receiving stolen items.
Recovered exhibits include large quantities of vandalised railway tracks and sleepers, suspected NNPC and Kaduna State Water Board pipes, as well as specialised equipment allegedly used to compress and conceal the stolen materials.
In a related development, operatives of the CG’s Special Intelligence Squad and the Kaduna State Command also arrested five suspects over the alleged vandalism of railway infrastructure along the Kaduna-Abuja corridor in Gwagwada community of Chikun Local Government Area.
Items recovered from the suspects included railway tracks, railway sleepers, and gas cylinders allegedly used in cutting and damaging the rail infrastructure.
