The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) says vandals have destroyed the 33KV electricity supply line to the Rigasa railway station and the adjoining railway village in Kaduna state.
This occurred just 60 days after the power line was repaired, Kayode Opeifa, the NRC managing director (MD), said in a statement on Sunday.
He said the vandals carted away critical components and plunged the entire area back into darkness after two years of a previous blackout.
“NRC personnel discovered the damage in the early hours of Friday, confirming that the newly-repaired line had, once more, been tampered with by criminal elements,” Opeifa said in a NAN report.
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Condemning the rising vandalism of railway infrastructure nationwide, the MD asked security operatives in Kaduna to intensify surveillance and track down vandals.
He said such criminal activities hinder the corporation’s operations and undermine the agency’s mandate to provide safe, reliable, and efficient transport services to Nigerians.
“The corporation assures passengers, host communities and stakeholders of its unwavering commitment to safeguarding national railway assets and enhancing service delivery across all corridors under the Renewed Hope Rail Agenda,” Opeifa said.
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The MD commended the judgment of the federal high court in Ikoyi, Lagos, for sentencing two rail track vandals — Mudansuru Mutari, 27, and Blorie Kokori, 39 — to two years imprisonment each for tampering with Warri-Itakpe Rail Track components.
“The convicts, who were earlier apprehended around Kilometer 208 before Abraka, Delta State, and subsequently paraded by the Railway Police Command, Lagos, were prosecuted on charges bordering on vandalism and economic sabotage,” he said.
“They were found guilty under Section 36(6)(b) and Section 1(10) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap 17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2024.”
He also lauded the judiciary, Justice A.I. Kala, the railway police command, and the security agencies for diligent investigation and successful prosecution of the rail track vandalism case.
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Opeifa reiterated that the NRC will work closely with security agencies to prosecute vandals, stressing that railway property are national assets and not scraps.
He added that the federal government maintains a zero-tolerance stance on vandalism.
