NRC decries destruction of Rigasa railway power line 60 days after repairs

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has condemned the renewed vandalism of its facilities following the destruction of a 33KV electricity supply line servicing the Rigasa railway station and the adjoining railway village in Kaduna State.

The incident occurred barely 60 days after the power line was restored, NRC Managing Director, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, said in a statement on Sunday.

He noted that the vandals stole critical components, plunging the area back into darkness after residents had only recently recovered from a two-year blackout.

According to Opeifa, NRC personnel discovered the latest damage early Friday, confirming that the newly repaired line had once again been targeted by criminal elements.

He described the development as part of a disturbing rise in nationwide vandalism of railway infrastructure.

The NRC chief urged security agencies in Kaduna State to intensify patrols and apprehend the perpetrators, stressing that such acts undermine the corporation’s operations and frustrate efforts to provide safe and reliable rail services to Nigerians.

He reaffirmed the NRC’s commitment to protecting national railway assets and enhancing service delivery under the Renewed Hope Rail Agenda.

Opeifa also commended the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, for sentencing two convicted rail track vandals — Mudansuru Mutari, 27, and Blorie Kokori, 39 — to two years imprisonment each.

The duo had been arrested near Kilometer 208 before Abraka in Delta State for tampering with components of the Warri–Itakpe rail track and were prosecuted for vandalism and economic sabotage.

They were found guilty under Section 36(6)(b) and Section 1(10) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap 17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2024.

He praised Justice A. I. Kala, the judiciary, the railway police command, and other security agencies for their efforts in securing the conviction.

Opeifa reiterated that the NRC will continue to collaborate with law enforcement agencies to prosecute offenders, emphasizing that railway infrastructure is a national asset, not scrap, and that the federal government maintains a zero-tolerance stance on vandalism.