By Abbanobi – Eku Onyekachi
Abuja
Although the Managing Director (MD), Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Engr Freeborn Okhirie has commended the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for protecting critical national assets and infrastructure, including numerous arrests of suspects with vandalized railway slippers and other gadgets, but he however noted that despite these efforts to salvage the NRC from economic saboteurs, the Corporation still suffer losses through vandalism of its installations across the country.
In a press release from the National Public Relations Officer, CSC Babawale Zaid Afolabi, Dr Freeborn stated this while on a courtesy call to the office of the Commandant General (CG) Ahmed Abubakar Audi at the NSCDC National Headquarters, Abuja.
Expressing worries that some rail tracks were still being vandalized while the number of perpetrators rising despite many arrests of suspects made, he called that all hands be on deck to confront the disturbing ugly trend which he described as an organized conspiracy to commit economic sabotage, even as he called for a stronger synergy amongst critical stakeholders and security agencies to bring perpetrators and sponsors to book.
While assuring the NSCDC of the NRC support and readiness to continue to collaborate with the Corps, he admonished the public to assist by providing actionable Intelligence that would lead to arrests of suspects so the Infrastructure provided by the government to meet the public needs would be secured, even as he pledged to leverage the prosecutorial mandate of the Corps by liaising for appropriate investigation and trial of suspects who are being apprehended.
Responding, the CG disclosed that over 20 trailers with numerous suspects have been arrested in connection with the crime of vandalism of Railway slippers, just as he expressed his commitment to work harder in containing the incidence decrying the slow pace encountered in the course of prosecution of suspects.
The CG also explained that the Corps would strengthen its disciplinary mechanism and sanction any personnel found culpable in sabotaging the concerted effort and thus solicited the Corporation’s assistance in catering for the welfare of the personnel deployed to their respective duty for the protection of the Infrastructure.
