Nigerian Troops Nab Rail Track vandals, rejects N5m bribe

Troops of the 4 Special Forces, Doma, Nasarawa State, have arrested 12 suspected rail track vandals at Angwan Yara, Keana Local Government Area (LGA) of Nasarawa State.

Maj. Joseph Afolasade, Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations of the Command, made the disclosure at a press briefing on Friday in Doma.

According to Maj. Afolasade “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 of Keana LGA.

“The suspects were arrested with a large quantity of rail tracks loaded in two trucks.

“In the course of investigation, the troops arrested additional seven suspects on June 18 who had made confessional statements.

“They admitted to have played various roles in the theft of the rail tracks and mentioned names of some prominent persons in Nasarawa and Plateau States as being part of the syndicate,” he added.

Maj. Afolashade further revealed that the Army also rejected a bribe of N5 million offered by the suspects.

“They offered to give our personnel N5 million to allow them go with the rail tracks, but our men rejected the money and arrested them,” Maj. Afolasade added.

He said that the suspects claimed that they were deceived by their sponsors who are on the run.

He added that Maj.-Gen. Owyinka Soyele, Commander of the Special Forces, had approved that the suspects be handed over to Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for further investigation and prosecution.

Receiving the suspects, a representative of Nasarawa State Commandant of the NSCDC, Afere Joseph, a Deputy Commandant, expressed gratitude to the Army for their level of collaboration to tackle insecurity in the state.

He, therefore, assured that the suspects would be prosecuted after investigation to serve as a deterrent.

One of the suspects, Hasiru Modibbo, told newsmen that one of his business partners contacted him after which a sum of N300,000 was sent to the drivers of the two trucks.