The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has detained 13 suspected railway vandals with large quantities of long rails and sleepers worth N800 million.
The miscreants were paraded alongside five trucks conveying the large quantities of vandalised rails and sleepers at the NSCDC Headquarters, Abuja on Tuesday.
During the parade, the NSCDC spokesman, Babawale Afolabi said that the suspects were apprehended by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CGs SIS).
Afolabi explained that the arrests took place around the Manchock area of Kaura LGA, the Zonkwa area in Zango Kataf LGA, and the Kaffanchan area in Jama’a LGA of Kaduna State.
“The 13 suspects and five trucks impounded have been taken into custody for profiling and further investigation and prosecution.
“The 13 suspects are still being interrogated and cross-examined after which other accomplices will be arrested and charged to court,” he said.
He revealed that upon arrest, the CG’s SIS operatives were offered N30 million as bribe which they declined.
The NSCDC Commandant General (CG), Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, had decried the continuous activities of vandals across the country.
He frowned at the yet-to-be-identified owners of iron and steel companies who always buy, process, and melt the vandalised rail track iron and sleepers.
“Efforts are in top gear to smash and unmask these syndicates and make them face the wrath of the law no matter how highly or lowly placed,” he said