30 Suspects Arrested,  As Operatives Intercepts Dangote Trucks, Others , In An Onslaught Against Railway Vandals 

30 suspected Vandals and railway Iron sleepers thieves are in police net Following Operatives onslaught vandalism and theft of Railway infrastructures.

This is even as police intercepted trucks and vehicles including two Dangote Trucks said to have been used by thieves in carting away the vandalized and stolen railway Iron sleepers .                                   

It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had in a recent directives to all service chiefs, ordered them  to safeguard the railway infrastructure across the Federation.

In line with that directive,the Inspector-General of Police  IGP Usman Baba Alkali, then directed the Railway Police Command led by CP Yetunde Longe to engage the Direct Action Response Tactics (DART), to effectively to protect the railway corridors from vandals.

Upon this directive, the Railway Police command responded and  arrested Thirty  suspected railway vandals between the month of September and October, 2022.

The Command said it recorded big success in the war against such vices on the 8th of September, 2022; while acting upon credible information, men of the Railway Police Command swooped on some criminal elements that have been involved in recurrent vandalisation and theft of railway iron sleepers at the section KM 1086 Sheme Town Faskari Local Governement Area of Kastina State; leading to the arrest of 14 suspects.

It was gathered that the suspects after exchange of fire with the policemen abandoned a Trailer truck with REG NO NASARAWA LFA 307XB and a Sharon car. However, further relentless combing of the crime scene led to the arrest of other suspects on 10th of September, 2022.

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), Wudeama Tahiru (23), John Jaccob (22), Ezekiel gumeret (26), Sulaimon musa (20).

Similarly, on 26th of September 2022 the Rigasa Railway Divisional Police Headquarters arrested five suspects in connection with vandalsation of window frames at Gidan Buse substation station. The suspects namely: Sadi Mohammed (26), Nasiru Yakubu (35), Yau Ibrahim (26); while two others were arrested- Buhari samlia (25), Aliyu abdulahi (24) were also arrested for the same crime on 17th of October, 2022.

Also, men of the Funtua Railway Police Division, Katsina state raided the hideout of notorious railway vandals and arrested four suspected vandals in possession of one hundred  railway iron sleepers and sixty cut to size triangular iron pieces belonging to the Nigerian Railway Cooperation (NRC)

Further, On 4th and 14th of November, 2022, Men of the Kafanchan Railway Police Division and Men of the Nigerian Army School of artillery intercepted two Dangote trucks with Registration numbers: MJB-367XA & DAL-754ZX. The trucks were loaded with 45 and 37 long rail irons respectively. Three suspects each: Adamu Lawal (32), Tajudeen yusuf (27), Sulieman Lwal (19); Abdulkadir Idris (45), Garba Sule (37), and Bilyaminu I Ahmadu (37), have been arrested in connection to the crime.

Bauchi Divisional Headquarters upon a credible tip-off also intercepted a J5 bus with registration number XC318BAU. The suspects upon sighting the policemen fled, abandoning the bus loaded with fifty pieces of Railway sleepers concealed with firewood. The bus and exhibits have been taken into police custody while investigations to apprehend the suspects continues. 

Relatively, Port Harcourt Railway Police Division also made an arrest of one suspect at the Port Harcourt Railway station. The suspect, James Wisdom (25) was caught stealing seats of first-class train coaches parked at railway station.

 CP Yetunde Longe, however noted that investigations will be swiftly concluded and the culprits will be duly charged to court to face the wrath of the law to its full extent.