The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has warned vandals, iron smelters to stay off railway property.
A statement by NRC’s Deputy Director, Public Relations, Mr Yakub Mahmoud, quoted the Managing Director, Dr Kayode Opeifa, as given the warning, on Thursday in Lagos.
According to Opeifa, anyone caught stealing the corporation’s property will be treated as economic saboteur.
“All those involved in removing, stealing NRC property , or trading along the rail tracks across the country should know that the Nigerian Police have been mandated to go after then.
“Likewise, all smelting foundries colluding with these saboteurs by buying off the iron materials stolen from rail lines should desist as their acts is injurious to the economy.
“This may lead to train derailment, which poses grave danger to the passengers,” he said.
Opeifa urged traders on rail tracks to stay away from such tracks to prevent avoidable accident.
He recalled that men of the Nigerian Railway Police Command (NRPC), in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, recently caught two vandals.
Opeifa, who bemoaned the incessant attacks on railway property, said a set of vandals were caught this week cutting narrow gauge tracks and attempted to make away with it.
He reiterated that the Nigerian Railway Corporation would treat any smelting foundry caught collaborating with the vandals as economic saboteur.
He noted that vandals were attacking the raillines because the lines had been inactive for a very long time.
He said the corporation would continue to leverage on the success of the reactivated freight movement to keep all its lines busy.
“Efforts are on to reopen abandoned routes, especially the Lagos to Kano route, for massive movement of cargoes across the country.
“The reactivation of old lines such as Nguru in Yobe State, Kaura and Idogo, in Ogun, among others, are currently ongoing.
“It will further reduce incidences of food scarcity as it would reduce transportation cost of moving farm produce from the farming hubs to the markets,” he said.
He said the corporation had commenced the movements of bulk goods, including cement, gypsum, and soda ash, among others, from the ports in partnership with some terminal operators, logistics companies and manufacturing concerns.
