The Railway Police Command on Monday said 30 suspected railway vandals were arrested between September and October 2022.

This is contained in a statement issued by Yetunde Longe, the Commissioner of Police for the command.

President Muhammadu Buhari had given directives to all service chiefs and Nigeria Police Force to safeguard the railway infrastructure across the federation.

“The command recorded big success on September 8, acting upon credible information, as men of the Railway Police Command swooped on some criminal elements that had been involved in recurrent vandalism and theft of railway iron sleepers at the section KM 1086 Sheme Town in Faskari LGA of Kastina State, leading to the arrest of 14 suspects.

“It was gathered that the suspects, after exchanging fire with the policemen, abandoned a trailer truck with Reg. No. Nasarawa LFA 307XB and a Sharon car,” she said.

According to Ms Longer, the suspects were arrested on September 10 after personnel further combed the crime scene.

She identified the suspects as Muhammed Lawan, 35; Umar Garba, 28; Sahana Iliyasu, 22; Bashiru Abdulrahaman, 20; Dauda Musa, 27; Ahmad Sani, 21; and Muhammed Haruna, 20.

Others are Gaddafi Bala, 21; Ali Umar, 25; Wudeama Tahiru, 23; John Jaccob, 22; Ezekiel Gumeret, 26; and Sulaimon Musa, 20.

“Similarly, on September 26, 2022, the Rigasa Railway Divisional Police Headquarters arrested five suspects in connection with the vandalism of some window frames at the Gidan Buse substation,” she said.

Ms Longe identified the suspects as Sadi Mohammed, 26; Nasiru Yakubu, 35; Yau Ibrahim, 26. She said two others, Buhari Samlia, 25, and Aliyu Abdulahi, 24, were also arrested for the same crime on October 17.

The commissioner added that her men also raided the hideout of some notorious railway vandals and arrested four suspects who were in possession of 100 railway iron sleepers and 60 cut-to-size triangular iron pieces belonging to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC)

The CP said on November 4 and 14, “men of the Kafanchan Railway Police Division and the men of the Nigerian Army School of Artillery intercepted two trucks with Registration numbers: MJB-367XA & DAL-754ZX.

“The trucks were loaded with 45 and 37 long rail irons, respectively. Three suspects each, Adamu Lawal, 32; Tajudeen Yusuf,27; Sulieman Lawal, 19; Abdulkadir Idris, 45; Garba Sule, 37; and Bilyaminu Ahmadu, 37, were arrested in connection with the crime.”

The CP said that the Bauchi Divisional Headquarters, upon a credible tip-off, also intercepted a J5 bus with registration number XC318BAU.

“The suspects in the bus, upon sighting the policemen, fled, abandoning the bus loaded with 50 pieces of Railway sleepers concealed with firewood.

“The bus and exhibits have been taken into police custody while investigations to apprehend the suspects continue.

“Recently, Port Harcourt Railway Police Division also made an arrest of one suspect at the Port Harcourt Railway station.

“The suspect, James Wisdom, 25, was caught stealing some seats of first-class train coaches parked at the railway station,” Ms Longe said.

The commissioner of police said investigations would be swiftly concluded, and the culprits would be duly charged to court.

(NAN)