5 arrested for vandalising Abuja rail track

The Transport Secretariat of the FCT Administration (FCTA), on Thursday, vowed to prosecute five suspected vandals who were arrested during the early hours of Wednesday while vandalising facilities of the rail track of the Abuja Light Rail. 

The Mandate Secretary of Transportation, Uboku Nyah, who visited the various sections of the vandalised rail track at Kukwuaba, said such acts of sabotage were highly condemnable.

 He said, “Over the past few days the FCT minister has been emphasising the importance of efficient transportation, particularly rail transportation, in line with the vision of the Renewed Hope agenda of the president in providing cheap and safe transportation for our people. The anchor of that is on rail transportation which can move the people massively from one place to another, and the government has invested heavily in that infrastructure.

 “We are sad to come and see what has happened. We got a report that there have been lots of vandalisation on our protective fences, tracks and communication cables. We came to see what has been happening, and we can confirm what we have seen. It is sad and very condemnable that our people that we are working for are doing this, because people didn’t come from outer space to cause this level of vandalisation.

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 “What this means is that we have to spend double and delay the project. We had expected that within the year that the rail services would start. But when we came here and saw that even the cables and the protective fences have been vandalised by our people, it is something that takes us back, and it is criminal for anybody to do this. That is why the Minister of the FCT and government of the FCT don’t take it lightly, as the full weight of the law will be visited on the people.’’

Narrating how the arrest was effected, the General Supervisor, SEGAD Security, Japhet MaiKeffi, said he and his men were on routine patrol when they sighted the suspects digging the rail tracks to remove armoured cables.

 He added that his team swung into action by chasing the suspected vandals who took to their heels to escape arrest, but that their vigilance and strategy paid off in the early hours of Wednesday when the suspects ran into their ambush on their way to continue their nefarious activities.