The Nigerian Railway Corporation has expressed deep concern over the increasing cases of vandalism targeting railway infrastructure across the country, describing them as deliberate acts of sabotage against national development.
According to The PUNCH, the NRC’s Managing Director, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, made this known in a statement released on Tuesday and signed by the Deputy Public Relations Officer for the Enugu district, Dr. Onyedikachi Onovo.
The statement follows two separate incidents that occurred on Monday along key railway routes in Delta and Enugu states.
“In the Agbarho community of Delta State, vandals attempted to compromise the Warri-Itakpe rail line by removing critical track components such as hold-down bolts and clips,” the NRC boss said.
The attempted sabotage, which occurred at the Km 250 Agbarho-Okpara section in Ughelli North Local Government Area, was thwarted by the prompt intervention of NRC personnel, assisted by the Agbarho Community Vigilante Group. The damaged section was quickly restored, although it caused a 40-minute delay in the departure of train WITS 01.
In a separate incident in the Eastern District, vandals reportedly used industrial gas equipment to cut through two spans of Bridge No. 24 located at Km 284 (Oghaho Section) in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State. NRC engineers and railway police arrived after the perpetrators had fled, and recovery efforts are ongoing.
Officials on-site attributed the security breach to the remoteness of the location and ongoing insecurity that has displaced local communities.
Dr. Opeifa commended the efforts of security agencies and praised the Agbarho community for their swift and patriotic action. “The protection of railway infrastructure is a shared responsibility,” he stated. “These assets belong to all Nigerians, and their safety must be guaranteed through joint vigilance.”
The NRC emphasized the need for heightened security presence across vulnerable rail routes and urged communities along these lines to be proactive in safeguarding national assets within their environments.
Investigations into the incidents are ongoing, the statement added.