The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has warned that relentless attacks on national rail infrastructure now pose a growing threat to public safety and the country’s transportation network, as it celebrated a fresh judicial victory while simultaneously battling yet another act of sabotage.
In a decisive ruling, the Federal High Court in Ikoyi sentenced two rail track vandals, 27-year-old Mudansuru Mutari and 39-year-old Blorie Kokori, to two years’ imprisonment each for tampering with critical components of the Warri–Itakpe rail corridor.
Justice A. I. Kala, who delivered the judgment, condemned their actions as a grave assault on national security, stressing that the punishment must serve as a deterrent to others targeting strategic public assets.
The pair were arrested earlier at Kilometer 208 near Abraka, Delta State, before being paraded by the Railway Police Command and charged with offences under the Miscellaneous Offences Act. They were ultimately convicted of vandalism and economic sabotage.
NRC Managing Director, Dr Kayode Opeifa, welcomed the court’s decision, praising investigators, prosecutors and security agencies for their coordinated effort.
“This judgment reinforces the Federal Government’s zero-tolerance stance on railway vandalism,” he said, adding that “Railway properties are national assets, not scraps.”
But even as the Corporation celebrated the ruling, a fresh crisis emerged.
The NRC confirmed a new attack on the 33Kv power line supplying the Rigasa Railway Station and neighbouring railway village in Kaduna, barely two months after the line was restored.
Thieves reportedly carted away essential components, plunging the community back into darkness after only 60 days of respite from a two-year blackout.
The incident, discovered in the early hours of Friday, has triggered alarm within the Corporation, which described the renewed sabotage as “regrettable and troubling.”
Opeifa called on security operatives in Kaduna to intensify surveillance and ensure the perpetrators are swiftly apprehended.
He warned that the surge in vandalism nationwide undermines NRC operations, compromises safety, and threatens the Corporation’s ability to deliver efficient rail services under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Rail Agenda.
Despite the setbacks, the NRC assured passengers, host communities and stakeholders of its continued commitment to protecting rail assets and sustaining services across all corridors.
“Those attacking national infrastructure must desist. We remain determined to safeguard our network and keep Nigeria moving,” the NRC said.
Source: PM News