The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has decried the vandalism of its facilities and called on state governments to take ownership of the rail tracks in their states.
The Managing Director of NRC, Dr Kayode Opeifa, made the call at the parade of two suspects on Friday in Lagos.
The suspects were arrested by the Railway Police Command in connection with the removal of fishplates along the Warri–Itakpe rail corridor.
Opeifa added that the state government should support the Federal Government by ensuring accessible roads to train terminals in their states.
‘The essence of today’s gathering is the profiling of the two suspects allegedly linked with the vandalism of train tracks, of which over 300 bolts and clips were removed.
‘To address the issue of vandalism on that route, we are going to renew our discussion with the Delta State Government and increase local involvement.
‘There are so many communities around that area, we ended up talking with two out of five, and so we will increase the number that we will be involved in.
‘We are definitely going to change strategies, and this will help us’, he said.
He disclosed that one of the suspects caught came from the community, who claimed to be farming.
Opeifa said due to security issues around the area, the corporation had to shut its train station in June.
‘We are already in discussion with the Rural Electrification Agency to ensure solar light 500 meters around and after the stations to illuminate the areas, and everything boils down to funding’, he said.
He said the issue of vandalism was on the decrease, adding that they were making issues out of each vandal to discourage others from following suit.
‘What worries us is people calling these assets scrap; they are not scrap, they are critical national assets’, he said.
Also, the Commissioner of Police, Railway Command headquarters, Vungmoh Kwaimo, said that railway transport was very important for the social and economic activities of the country, describing its vandalism as pure sabotage.
‘Today, we are here to parade some suspects who were arrested in the process of vandalism of railway lines, which took place on 4 November.
‘The suspects, one aged 27 is from Kano State and the other from Delta State, aged 39, we can also see that this is an organised crime’, he said.
He noted that vandalism was not a bailable offence, noting that the railway CID was working seriously to ensure speedy prosecution.
‘Justice must be done, and we assure everyone in this dispensation that there is no room for pampering any criminal.
‘We want to use this as a deterrent to those people who are nursing the embers of vandalising the railway line.
‘We have informed the legal department in NRC to ensure that this matter takes precedence’, he said.
Kwaimo said he would ensure a thorough investigation to ensure that those involved were brought to book.
He added that the investigation had been extended to those who purchased the scraps both in Lagos and Agbor.
The President General of the Nigerian Union of Railway Workers, Mr Innocent Ajiji, appreciated the managing director of NRC for the efforts, noting that the issue of vandalism did not start today.
‘We also appreciate the police; the insinuation is that the police are not doing anything in this regard.
‘The incessant accidents we have been having are the causes of it because it is the major component that holds our track that is removed, and any train that comes there will surely derail’, he said.
He noted that railway workers had always ensured that passengers were moved from one place to the other, but the best they got whenever an accident occurred was condemnation.
‘Despite the decayed infrastructure and limited tools to work with, we are still putting our best into seeing that the trains work’, he said.
