Following the directives of President Muhammadu Buhari to all service chiefs to safeguard railway infrastructure across the federation, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali, has directed the Railway Police Command, led by CP Yetunde Longe, to engage the Direct Action Response Tactics (DART), to effectively protect the railway corridors from vandals.
Addressing reporters at the headquarters of the railway command in Lagos, the commissioner, CP Yetunde Longe, said the directive, paid off following the arrest of 30 suspected vandals between the months of September and October, 2022.
He said on September 8, 2022, acting on credible information, men of the Railway Police Command swooped on some criminal elements involved in vandalism and theft of railway iron sleepers at the section KM 1086 in Sheme town, Faskari LGA of Kastina State, leading to the arrest of 14 suspects.
It was gathered that the suspects, after a shootout with the police, abandoned a trailer truck with registration number LFA 307XB and a Sharon car.
However, further relentless combing of the crime scene led to the arrest of the suspects on September 10, 2022.
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The suspects are Muhammed Lawan (35), Umar Garba (28), Sahana Iliyasu (22), Bashiru Abdulrahaman (20), Dauda Musa (27), Ahmad Sani (21), Muhammed Haruna (20), Aten Ahmed, Gaddafi Bala (21), Ali Umar (25), Wudama Tahiru (23), John Jacob (22), Ezekiel Gumeret (26) and Sulaimon Musa (20).
Similarly, on September 20, 2022 the Rigasa Railway Divisional Police Headquarters arrested five suspects in connection with vandalisation of window frames at Gidan Buse substation.
The suspects, Sadi Mohammed (26), Nasiru Yakubu (35), Yau Ibrahim (26); and two others were arrested.
Buhari Samaila (25) and Aliyu Abdullahi (24) were also arrested for the same crime on October 17, 2022.
Men of the Funtua Railway Police Division, Katsina State, also raided the hideouts of notorious railway vandals and arrested four in possession of over 100 railway iron sleepers and 60 triangular iron pieces belonging to the NRC.
On November 4 and 14, 2022, men of the Kafanchan Railway Police Division and the Nigerian Army School of Artillery intercepted two Dangote trucks with numbers MJB-367XA and DAL-754ZX.
The trucks were loaded with 45 and 37 rail irons respectively.
The suspects Adamu Lawal (32), Tajudeen Yusuf (27), Suleiman Lawal (19); Abdulkadir Idris (45), Garba Sule (37) and Bilyaminu I Ahmadu (37), were arrested in connection to the crime.
The Bauchi Divisional Headquarters, upon a credible tip-off, also intercepted a J5 bus with registration number XC318BAU.
The suspects, upon sighting the police, 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 investigation to apprehend the suspects continues.
Similarly, the Port Harcourt Railway Police Division arrested one suspect at the Port Harcourt Railway station.
The suspect, James Wisdom (25) was caught stealing seats from first-class train coaches parked at the railway station.
