The troops of the 4 Special Forces, Doma, Nasarawa State, have arrested 12 suspected rail track vandals at Angwan Yara, Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. The suspects were caught with a large quantity of rail tracks loaded in two trucks at an abandoned railway station.
The Army spokesperson, Maj. Joseph Afolasade, said that the suspects confessed to being part of a syndicate that involved some prominent persons in Nasarawa and Plateau States. He also said that the suspects offered to bribe the Army personnel with N5 million to let them go with the rail tracks, but the offer was rejected.
The suspects claimed that they were deceived by their sponsors who are still at large. The Army commander, Maj.-Gen. Owyinka Soyele, approved that the suspects be handed over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for further investigation and prosecution.
The NSCDC representative, Afere Joseph, thanked the Army for their collaboration and assured that the suspects would be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent. One of the suspects, Hasiru Modibbo, said that he was contacted by one of his business partners who sent him N300,000 to pay the drivers of the trucks.
The arrest of the rail track vandals is part of the efforts of the Army to curb insecurity and protect critical national infrastructure in the state.
