The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested 12 suspected vandals and impounded two trucks conveying stolen railway sleepers.

This is contained in a statement on Sunday by NSCDC spokesperson Olusola Odumosu.

Mr Odumosu said the corps had also clamped down on two illegal warehouses with many vandalised railway sleepers.

He said the arrests were made within two weeks in three separate operations by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’s SIS).

“The arrests were made at Kafanchan- Kwoi Road, Kaduna State and Agwan-Kuje village, Nasarawa and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp, Keffi- Abuja expressway,” Mr Odumosu said.

According to him, following its intelligence report, the squad arrested the vandals while loading vandalised and stolen railway sleepers at a bush in Nasarawa.

“A long open trailer already loaded with over 500 pieces of vandalised railway sleepers alleged to be owned by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) was also concealed under sacks of groundnut dust.

“Retrieved from the suspects was a forged copy of the NRC scrap delivery paper,” he said.

The corps spokesman stated that three suspected vandals were arrested while conveying many vandalised railway sleepers concealed with rice chaff inside a bus along the Keffi-Abuja expressway.

Mr Odumosu said four suspected vandals were also arrested by the squad while loading railway sleepers into an already filled illegal warehouse in Kaduna.

“Acting on an intelligence tip-off, the squad succeeded in intercepting another  long open body truck fully loaded with a large quantity of vandalised rail track irons, covered with a blue trampoline,” he said.

He said all the arrested suspects and exhibits were subject to preliminary investigation, which would aid further arrest.

He urged citizens to continually provide useful information that would help arrest vandals across the country.

According to him, this will reduce the rate of critical infrastructure vandalism in the country.

Mr Odumosu warned persons with the criminal intent of robbing the nation of its assets to desist as the corps would not spare anyone guilty of such criminality.

(NAN)