The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has arrested two suspects and recovered a large consignment of stolen railway sleepers along the Bauchi-Kano corridor, dismantling part of a criminal network responsible for the systematic vandalism of rail infrastructure across the North-East.
Operatives of the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad intercepted 65-year-old Alzuma Yakubu and 32-year-old Ismail Muhammad while they transported suspected vandalized railway materials concealed in a truck from Tafawa-Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State toward Kano State. The vehicle and recovered materials were impounded as exhibits.
Corps Spokesman Afolabi Babawale said the operation followed a strategic directive by Commandant General Ahmed Audi, who had ordered the Special Intelligence Squad to relocate to Bauchi State following concerns about rising railway vandalism in the region, including an alarm reportedly raised by the Bauchi State governor about activities of criminal elements allegedly operating under the guise of contractors.
Security sources said the arrested suspects were providing useful intelligence to investigators, while the Corps was also tracking secret warehouses allegedly used for storing vandalized materials before their illegal sale in other states.
The NSCDC warned vandals, scrap dealers, and criminal networks involved in infrastructure destruction that neither Bauchi nor neighboring states would serve as safe havens, describing the railway system as a critical national asset whose protection was central to ongoing federal efforts to modernize transportation and improve regional connectivity.
