Nigeria: Rail Track Vandalism Threatens Govt’s Transport Reforms

There are concerns about the increasing cases of track vandalism across the country, with several incidents recently reported.

These include vandalism on the Warri to Itakpe railway (Kogi area), the seizure of rails in Kaduna, sections of the eastern railway line (Enugu section) and other cases identified in the western region.

The Warri-Itakpe railway line started operating in 2020. Freight started moving in mid-April 2021. According to some passengers, train travel on the rail line has alleviated their transportation problems as they can connect from Abuja to Itakpe near Okene in Kogi State and hop on the train to Warri Town in Delta State.

Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) officials said passenger service is scheduled at 2 p.m. daily from Itakpe to Warri from the Itakpe substation on a test basis.

However, the threat of vandals attacking the railway line may shorten this logistical intervention by the federal government.

Last week, a viral video showed that vandals had sliced ​​several sections of the Itakpe-Warri standard gauge line.

The unknown vandals used a saw to cut the railroad line to a point where the parts could be removed, putting passengers on the train at risk.

The incident, our correspondent gathered, took place around 30 kilometers in the Adogo area of ​​Kogi state.

Last week in Kaduna state police arrested five vandals suspected of stealing rails in the village of Dalle, Jema’a region.

Police spokesman ASP Muhammad Jalige said two trucks loaded with railway sleepers had been recovered from the suspects.

Police also confirmed that another viral video showed similar vandalism was taking place on the Enugu Axis, where personnel from the Nigerian Security and Civil Protection Corps (NSCDC) arrested and demonstrated some of the rail vandals.

As recently as May 19, police said in a report by the Nigeria News Agency (NAN) that they had caught a man who is accused of destroying railroad tracks in Enugu state. The suspect, identified as Ejike Okeke from the Nkwubor-Nike community in the Enugu East region, is said to belong to a syndicate “that specializes in demolishing railroad tracks in the state.”

A locally made pistol with a live cartridge was recovered from Mr Okeke, who was arrested on May 9 at 11 a.m. by a team of staff from the Enugu subway command and members of the vigilante group, the police spokesman said last Wednesday in the state of Daniel Ndukwe.

Ndukwe noted in the statement that Mr. Okeke and others “who were sighted by the activists were found trying to destroy railroad tracks on the Nkwubor Railway Line,” adding that the investigation into the arrest of other gang members was still ongoing .

Railroad vandalism is also widespread in the Lagos / Western district of the NRC.

The results show that over 100 people are currently detained for vandalism on the railway tracks at the railway police station in Lagos.

While security agencies were hired to arrest the criminals, experts also advocated the use of technology that would alert those responsible every time a track was destroyed.

Speaking to our correspondent, Akin Akintola, engineer and former chairman of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Ikeja branch, said that railroad track destruction has been a recurring problem. The same thing, he said, was seen on some bridges.

He said, “To mitigate this, there is some equipment they should install. They have signals. It’s like you’re flying your plane. There is a signal to be sent. Immediately the plane arrives on Am the nearest airport they would receive signals.

“In the railroad they have signals too, but the big question is, are those responsible? We should allow those who are supposed to work to work. There are devices that can be used. It’s like the pipelines. You you don’t have to stand by the pipeline to secure it, there is a device that lets you know what’s going on on the pipeline right from home.

“So they can do the same thing on our railroad, and if someone tampered with it, they’d know. There are sensors and all these signals. It’s unfortunate that Nigerians just love to destroy things.”

Akintola said those who destroyed railroad tracks are a group of criminals and could not be driven out of poverty.

“Removing that is extra work. The snout isn’t just an ordinary snout. In order to cut such materials, the person has to be an expert. For you to be an expert, is that poverty? You’re just a group of criminals,” he added.

When the executive director / general manager of the NRC, Fidet Okhiria, an engineer, was contacted about these incidents, particularly the Warri-Itakpe railway line, he confirmed the incident to our correspondent but said that the train would continue to operate as there was an alternative to the destroyed section.

“The incident happened, but we are still operational because we have an alternative,” he noted.

He also said the NRC will involve communities to protect the transportation infrastructure from further acts of vandalism.

Railway District Manager (RDM) for Lagos, an engineer Jerry Oche, provided further insight into the threat when he said the destruction of rails was of concern.

He announced that several kilometers of the tracks on the Lagos-Kano corridor had been destroyed. He said activity along the Sarkin Power / Birnin Gwari axis between Niger State and Kaduna is widespread, adding, “We cannot quantify it.”

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“As we sit here, some groups of people are removing something. If the train goes from Lagos to Kano before it gets there, there is a good chance it will be destroyed,” he said.

However, he said the NRC used rail buses to patrol the route. He added that the express train service between Lagos and Kano is being revived to ensure activity is taking place in the corridor and to send a signal to them.

He said, “I believe when it comes to activity, the vandalism will decrease.

Two railway buses were used to Ibadan and Minna. What we do with them is that the one in Minna patrols the line between Zaria and Minna every day. The one in Ibadan patrols between the western district and the Lagos district because a lot of activities take place here (Lagos). The whole idea is that we work and make sure our line is fine.

“The government is making a new line. The standard gauge is not on the old line. And our take on the government thing is that people can go there and steal them and say we don’t need them anymore. Inspection vehicles for rail operations are continuous” explained Oche.

By Abdullateef Aliyu (Lagos) & Chris Agabi & Simon Echewofun Sunday (Abuja)

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