NSCDC Busts Multi-Billion Naira Rail Track Vandal Syndicate in Kaduna

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has uncovered a major criminal network involved in the theft and recycling of railway tracks, petroleum pipelines and other critical national infrastructure, leading to the sealing of a steel company in Kaduna allegedly linked to the operation.

The crackdown followed weeks of intelligence gathering after a viral video exposed the extensive vandalisation of newly laid Kaduna-Kano railway tracks alongside older rail infrastructure.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the National Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC, Afolabi Babawale, the agency said the Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, directed the Corps’ Special Intelligence Squad and the Kaduna State Command to identify and apprehend those behind the sabotage.

Acting on the directive, operatives of the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad, led by Commandant Apollos Dandaura, in collaboration with the Kaduna State Command, raided and sealed the Kaduna branch of Inner Galaxy Steel Company located at Birnin Yero in Igabi Local Government Area.

According to the NSCDC, investigations revealed that the company allegedly operated under the guise of a scrap metal business while serving as a collection and processing centre for stolen railway materials, Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) pipes and Water Board infrastructure.

The agency said the syndicate purchased vandalised rail tracks and pipes from suspected vandals before compressing them into scrap materials to conceal their original form.

The processed items were then reportedly transported to the company’s headquarters in Aba, Abia State, where they were melted and converted into products such as nails and iron rods for resale.

During the operation, 12 suspects were arrested while security operatives recovered large quantities of vandalised railway tracks, rail slippers and suspected NNPC and Water Board pipes estimated to be worth billions of naira.

The NSCDC described the operation as a major breakthrough in efforts to tackle economic sabotage and protect critical national assets.

Commandant General Ahmed Audi commended the Special Intelligence Squad and the Kaduna State Command for what he described as a professional and courageous operation.

“The Corps will not treat any act of economic sabotage with kid gloves,” Audi stated.

“It is deeply concerning that registered companies are acting as saboteurs by providing a market for vandalised infrastructure. We will track down every sponsor and accomplice involved in this network.”

The agency confirmed that the steel company has been sealed pending the conclusion of investigations, while the suspects arrested during the raid are expected to face prosecution.

The NSCDC also reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding national infrastructure and urged members of the public to continue providing useful information capable of helping security agencies combat vandalism and other economic crimes.

The latest operation comes amid growing concerns over repeated attacks on railway facilities, oil installations and public infrastructure across parts of the country.