Troops from the 4 Special Forces in Doma, Nasarawa State, have apprehended 12 suspected railway line vandals at Angwan Yara in Keana Local Council of Nasarawa State.
Major Joseph Afolasade, the acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, disclosed this information during a press briefing held in Doma.
Afolasade stated, “On June 15, 2023, troops from the command, during a routine patrol, intercepted five suspected rail track vandals at an abandoned railway station between Angwan Yara and Agyaragu communities in Keana Local Council. The suspects were arrested with a large quantity of rail track loaded in two fully loaded trucks.”
He continued, “During the course of the investigation, the troops arrested an additional seven suspects on June 18, who made confessional statements. They admitted to playing various roles in rail track theft and mentioned the names of prominent individuals in Nasarawa and Plateau states as part of the syndicate.”
Afolasade further revealed that the Army rejected a bribe of N5 million offered by the suspects in an attempt to secure their release. “They offered our personnel N5 million to allow them to leave with the vandalized rail track equipment, but our men rejected the money and arrested them,” he added.
He noted that the suspects claimed to have been deceived by their sponsors, who are currently on the run.
Major General Owyinka Soyele, the Commander of the Special Forces, approved the handover of the suspects to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for further investigation and prosecution.
Consequently, the suspects were handed over to the representative of the Nasarawa State Commandant of NSCDC.
Deputy Commandant of NSCDC, Afere Joseph, commended the Army for their cooperation in addressing insecurity and advised residents to refrain from criminal activities. He assured that the suspects would be prosecuted after a thorough investigation as a deterrent to others.
One of the suspects, Hasiru Modibbo, informed the Nigerian Tribune that one of his business partners contacted him and sent N300,000 to the drivers of the two vehicles involved.
It has been observed that railway line vandalism has become one of the most lucrative crimes in the North Central communities, where the popular South North rail line passes through.
