TWELVE suspected rail track vandals have been arrested by the troops of 4 Special Forces, Doma, of the Nigerian Army, in Nasarawa State.
The Command’s acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations Major Joseph Afolasade disclosed this on Friday, June 30 at a press briefing in Doma.
“On June 15, 2023, troops of the Command, during a routine patrol, intercepted five suspected rail track vandals at an abandoned railway station between Angwan Yara and Agyaragu communities in Keana Local Council.
“The suspects were arrested with large quantity of rail track loaded in two trucks fully loaded.
“In the course of investigation, the troops arrested additional seven suspects on June 18, who made confessional statements,” he said.
The suspects, according to Afolasade, have admitted to have played various roles in rail track theft and also mentioned the names of prominent persons in Nasarawa and Plateau states as being part of the syndicate.
The spokesman, however, didn’t give the names of the prominent persons involved in the crime, noting that the suspects claimed that they were deceived by their sponsors.
“They offered our personnel N5 million to allow them go with the vandalised rail track equipment, but our men rejected the money and arrested them,” he added.
Afolasade further stressed that the Commander of the Special Forces, Maj. Gen. Owyinka Soyele, approved that the suspects be handed over to Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for further investigations.
Receiving the suspects, the Deputy Commandant of Nasarawa NSCDC, Afere Joseph, commended the Army for the synergy to tackle insecurity and advised the residents to shun crime.
Joseph, however, assured that the suspects would be charged to court immediately after investigation.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M