NRC Raises Alarm Over Escalating Vandalism On Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna Rail Corridors — Describes Acts As Economic Sabotage

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has expressed grave concern over the rising wave of vandalism targeting its electrical and signalling installations across key railway corridors — Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, and Warri-Itakpe — describing the trend as a serious threat to national transport safety and infrastructure development.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Saturday in Lagos, the Managing Director of the NRC, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, through the Corporation’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Mr. Callistus Unyimadu, lamented that the increasing attacks were undermining the Federal Government’s huge investments in modern railway infrastructure.

According to Opeifa, two suspects have already been arrested in Kaduna for vandalising electrical cables at the Rigasa Train Station, one of the most active terminals on the Abuja–Kaduna rail line.

The suspects, aged 22 and 24, both residents of Rigasa, were nabbed by operatives of the Nigeria Police Railway Command attached to the Abuja–Kaduna Train Service (AKTS), following the discovery on Friday, October 10, that a major cable wire had been cut and removed from an NRC crane.

“Acting swiftly on intelligence, the patrol team led by ASP Abdullahi Bwajin, Administrative Officer at Rigasa, traced and arrested the suspects shortly after the incident,” Opeifa confirmed.

During interrogation, the suspects allegedly confessed to the crime, admitting they sold the stolen cable to a buyer identified as Musa Major for ₦90,000, splitting ₦30,000 each, while another accomplice remains at large.

Opeifa described the acts as “economic sabotage against the Nigerian people,” stressing that the continued vandalism of railway infrastructure poses a direct danger to passenger safety, train efficiency, and national economic growth.

> “These installations are critical national assets. Anyone tampering with them is sabotaging the nation’s lifeline. Henceforth, the NRC, in collaboration with security agencies, will treat such acts as economic crimes with severe legal consequences,” he vowed.

He commended the Nigeria Police Railway Command (AKTS) for its professionalism and rapid response, assuring that all culprits, including those at large, would be brought to justice.

The NRC boss also appealed to host communities along railway lines to see the infrastructure as collective property that must be protected.

> “The railway system is a catalyst for community development, commerce, and job creation. Protecting it is a shared responsibility,” Opeifa emphasized.
He warned that persistent vandalism not only disrupts train operations but could lead to catastrophic accidents, undermining public confidence in the country’s resurgent rail transport sector.

As the NRC intensifies collaboration with security agencies to clamp down on saboteurs, Dr. Opeifa reaffirmed the Corporation’s commitment to safe, reliable, and sustainable rail transport for all Nigerians.