FCT Transportation Secretariat Arrests 7 Over Rail Vandalism

A Five man gang and two others in the business of vandalizing rail tracks and communication cables have been arrested in Abuja.

The five men were said to be executing their nefarious operation around 2am on Wednesday morning when the SEGAD Security guards on patrol caught them in Kukwuaba 1 and 2 areas of the rail tracks.

The Mandate Secretary FCT Transportation Secretariat, Uboku Tom Nyah who made this known when he led management staff to inspect the vandalized portions of the rail tracks, vowed that the vandals must face the wrath of the law to serve as a deterrent to others.

He reiterated the commitment of the Transportation Secretariat to deliver the rail project in line with the desire of Mr President towards providing affordable and safe transportation system for the citizenry.

” We in the FCT are against this kind of action and will continue to crush and visit heavy sanctions on the people that are doing this.So far, there are about seven (7) that have been arrested.

“Fortunately, a few of these people have been taken in, and whatever is due legally will be done to discourage other people from acting against the interest of the government and the people. Building rail, roads and providing buses, it is for the masses, so all of us will benefit”.

” it is sad and very condemnable that our people that we are working for are doing this, because people didn’t come from outer space to cause this level of vandalisation. What this means is that we have to spend double, and delay the project. We had expected that within the year that the rail services will start” Nyah lamented.

On his part, the General Supervisor, SEGAD Security, Mr Japhet Maikeffi explained that the phone of one of the men caught was used to track the remaining suspects to a scavenger settlement in Gwagwa where they live.

” We went out for general patrol, so around 2:10 am, we saw four young people (suspects) digging the rail tracks, to remove the armoured cables inside the bush, immediately we parked, and flashed torchlight, and immediately they noticed us, they started running, we begun chasing them.

“And we laid ambush inside the bush while waiting for them, till about 5:05 am, then one of them was seen coming out with a shovel on his hand, that was when we immediately arrested him …and tracked others to their residences in Baba-bola (scavengers) settlement at Gwagwa, where they were all arrested and taken into custody”.

The lead member of the gang who gave his name as Salisu Ibrahim and spoke in hausa language confirmed that they specialize in stealing and vandalizing cables.

“Our work is to vandalise, steal the cables and sell and this is the fourth time I’ve been involved the activity”.

“Am actually a motor mechanic, but had to switch into vandalism due to lack of job and is lucrative.

“We thought everything was over the next morning and decided to resume from where we stopped the previous night, but unfortunately we walked into their ambush and I was apprehended.

Two suspected criminals earlier arrested in connection to the rail line vandalism were said to be in police custody.

Remi Johnson, Edited By Grace Namiji