The Nigerian Railway Corporation has raised alarm over renewed attacks on railway infrastructure in Plateau and Bauchi States, warning that the incidents pose serious risks to public safety, economic activity and national security.
In a statement released on Saturday, the corporation’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Callistus Unyimadu, described the vandalism as a direct attack on critical national infrastructure.
The NRC said one of the incidents occurred on May 21, 2026, when a truck allegedly loaded with vandalised railway materials got stuck between Kuru and Science School area in Plateau State.
According to the corporation, the incident exposed “the dangerous activities of criminal elements involved in the destruction and illegal movement of railway materials.”
The corporation also revealed that along the railway corridor in Zango, Bauchi State, between Kilometre 878 and 889, railway slippers were completely removed on both sides of a level crossing, leaving behind only a few disjointed rail pieces.
It warned that such acts could result in “catastrophic train accidents, disruption of rail services, loss of lives and destruction of government investments worth billions of naira.”
The NRC stated that railway tracks, slippers, clips, fastenings and signalling materials were critical national assets built with taxpayers’ money to facilitate transportation, trade, economic activities, and national development.
It stressed that the facilities “should never be treated as scraps for illegal business.”
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NRC, Dr Kayode Opeifa, condemned the persistent attacks on railway facilities, describing the trend as sabotage against national progress and a threat to the safety of passengers and railway personnel.
“According to him, the increasing incidents of vandalism in the North Central and North East corridors indicate a dangerous pattern that requires urgent collective action from security agencies, state governments, traditional rulers, community leaders, and residents living along railway lines,” the statement read.
Opeifa appealed to Nigerians to see railway infrastructure as “a national symbol and strategic economic asset that must be protected at all times.”
He also warned vandals, scrap dealers, and individuals involved in the illegal purchase, movement, or destruction of railway materials to desist immediately, stressing that anyone caught would face the full weight of the law.
The corporation further called on security agencies to intensify surveillance and enforcement operations around railway corridors nationwide, while urging members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities around railway facilities.
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