NSCDC Busts Syndicate Vandalizing Railway Tracks, NNPC Pipelines; 12 Suspects Arrested

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has dismantled a syndicate involved in the vandalism, theft and recycling of critical national infrastructure, including railway tracks, NNPC pipelines and water board installations, with no fewer than 12 suspects arrested. The National Public Relations Officer of the corps, ACC Babawale Afolabi, disclosed this during a briefing on Wednesday in Kaduna. Afolabi, represented by the Deputy Public Relations Officer, SC Terzungwe Orndiir, said the operation followed a viral video showing massive vandalisation of newly laid Kaduna-Kano rail tracks and existing railway infrastructure in the northern part of the country. He said the Commandant General of the corps, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, directed the CG’s Special Intelligence Squad (SIS) and the Kaduna State Command to identify and apprehend those behind the act.

According to Afolabi, the breakthrough was achieved through intelligence-led operations supervised by the Commander of the CG’s SIS, Commandant Apollos Dandaura, in collaboration with the Kaduna State Command. He said operatives on May 12 dismantled what he described as an international and local syndicate operating under a sophisticated criminal cover. The suspects allegedly used the premises of Inner Galaxy Steel Company at Birnin Yero in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State as a front for their activities. According to the NSCDC spokesperson, the company allegedly compressed vandalised railway materials into scrap at its Kaduna facility before transporting them to Aba, Abia State, where they were melted and recycled into nails and iron rods. Afolabi said this criminal cycle had caused the Federal Government monumental economic losses, adding that the suspects allegedly conspired with vandals to purchase stolen railway tracks, slippers, NNPC pipes and water board infrastructure.

The NSCDC spokesman said seven suspects had been arrested in connection with the case, identifying them as Usman Hassan, company manager; Bilyaminu Usman, weighbridge operator; Choji Pam, weighbridge officer; Jamilu Jaafar, scrap collector; Chukwuemeka Udonwoke, supervisor; Chikwodilli Ezema, company manager; and Isaac Etim, scrap leader. According to him, the suspects are being processed for criminal conspiracy, unlawful possession of vandalised property and receiving stolen property. He listed items recovered from the scene to include large quantities of vandalised railway tracks and slippers, suspected NNPC and water board pipes, as well as specialised machinery allegedly used for compressing and concealing stolen infrastructure.

Afolabi further disclosed that the CG’s SIS and Kaduna State Command also arrested five suspects over alleged vandalism of rail tracks along the Kaduna-Abuja corridor at Gwagwada community in Chikun Local Government Area. He said exhibits recovered from them included railway tracks, slippers and gas cylinders allegedly used in destroying the infrastructure. The NSCDC spokesman quoted the Commandant General as commending the CG’s SIS and Kaduna State Command for their gallantry and professionalism. He said the corps was concerned that registered companies were allegedly acting as saboteurs, adding, “Under this leadership, the NSCDC will not treat economic sabotage with kid gloves. We are going after the sponsors. This operation marks the beginning of a new phase in our crackdown on syndicates supporting vandalism under any disguise.” Afolabi thanked members of the public for providing intelligence through social media and urged continued collaboration with security agencies.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr Kayode Opeifa, commended the NSCDC for recovering large quantities of railway materials allegedly vandalised and concealed in Kaduna State. Opeifa, represented by the Chief Technical Officer (Track), Zaria, Mr Paul Doche, said the NRC team was invited by the NSCDC to identify railway materials recovered during the intelligence-led operation. He said the recovered items included heaps of railway sleepers and rail tracks allegedly hidden beneath scrap metal debris, adding, “We have gone round and identified some of our materials there. These are national assets.” Doche praised the NSCDC for what he described as a successful intelligence-driven operation. He noted, however, that it would be difficult to immediately quantify the recovered materials because many of the railway components were buried under heaps of metal scraps. “Before we can quantify, we have to remove all the debris and count the materials one after the other,” he said. Doche reiterated that the Nigerian Railway Corporation had zero tolerance for vandalism and destruction of railway infrastructure. According to him, the matter would be handed back to the NSCDC for further investigation and prosecution of those involved in accordance with the law.

‎Video: Ondo Community Rejects Imposition of Sepeluwa As Oba in Oroto 

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‎Concerned citizens and indigenes of Oroto Community, Ugbo Kingdom, Ilaje Local Government of Ondo State have rejected the imposition of Sepeluwa as the title of Oba in Oroto.

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‎The community in a statement by Oluwafemi Awenebi,said Oroto belongs to all the people of the community, and decisions concerning leadership and traditional institutions must reflect fairness, equity, and justice for everyone.

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‎It said: “We, the residents and indigenes of Oroto, are the rightful owners and occupants of this community. The entire community stands united in rejecting any attempt to force Sepeluwa on the people against their collective will as their domain is obenla.

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‎”We call on the Olubo family to stop using the instrument of the state to oppress and silence the voices of Oroto people, Egharegbemi is the Eldest, Leadership should be based on consultation, inclusiveness, and respect for the wishes of the people. For peace and unity to prevail, everybody must be carried along in matters affecting the community.

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‎”Oroto is for all of us, and the collective interest of the people must always come first. The governor should not impose a Sepuluwa on us, protest letters have been written to the governor and the chieftaincy and local government commissioner yet they want to still go ahead to present a staff of office.

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‎”We, the concerned people and indigenes of Oroto Community in Ugbo Kingdom, write this public correspondence with deep pain, concern, and dissatisfaction over the ongoing attempts to impose the title of “SEPELUWA” within our land and traditional structure without due consultation, lawful process, or historical legitimacy.

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‎”It has come to our attention that plans are underway by the Government to install a person under the title of “SEPELUWA” in Oroto Community.

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‎”This development has generated widespread tension, outrage, and serious concern among the peace-loving people of Oroto and the entire Ugbo Kingdom.

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‎”For months, our people have written several letters through the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs and Obas, as well as through the Office of the Executive Chairman of Ilaje Local Government, seeking clarification, dialogue, and peaceful resolution on this sensitive issue.

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‎”We have made repeated appeals, consultations, peaceful protests, and historical presentations to relevant authorities, yet our concerns have received little or no meaningful response.

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‎”We therefore find it necessary to state clearly and publicly that the people of Oroto reject the imposition of the so-called SEPELUWA title in our community.

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‎”Our position is based on historical facts, ancestral tradition, and the established customary structure of the Ugbo Kingdom. To the best of our historical knowledge and ancestral records, there has never existed a recognized traditional title known as “SEPELUWA” within the traditional institution of the Ugbo Kingdom.

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‎”Furthermore, we strongly maintain that no authority outside the recognized traditional stool of the Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom possesses the customary right to install traditional leaders or create chieftaincy structures within Ugbo Kingdom.

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‎”Any attempt to bypass established customs and impose unfamiliar titles upon our people amounts to an abuse of traditional processes and a disregard for the historical identity of our kingdom.

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‎”The people of Oroto are law-abiding citizens who believe in peace, justice, and democratic engagement. However, peace can only thrive where there is fairness, consultation, and respect for the rule of law.

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‎”A government that truly serves the people must listen to the voices of the people and not force decisions upon them against their collective will and historical heritage.

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‎”The people of Oroto will continue to defend their ancestral rights, cultural identity, and historical truth through lawful and legitimate means. We refuse to remain silent while our traditions, history, and collective heritage are disregarded.”

Amore Seeks Justice for Ilobi/Erinja Ward, Decries Political Marginalisation in Yewa South

In his bid to justify why he wishes to contest for a seat in the Ogun State House of Assembly to represent the good people of Yewa South State Constituency, an aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Olusegun Olugbemileke Amore, has appealed to elders and stakeholders of the party in Yewa South Local Government to critically examine what he described as the prolonged marginalisation of Ilobi/Erinja Ward in the Ifekowajo District of the council area.

According to Hon. Amore, the ward has allegedly been denied political elective positions since the advent of the Second Republic in 1979 till date.

Speaking with journalists in Ilaro, headquarters of Ogun West Senatorial District, on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, Hon. Amore explained the pattern of political elective positions and beneficiaries within the Ifekowajo District over the years.

He listed previous beneficiaries as follows: Oke-Odan Ward produced Late Chief D.O. Bankole who served in the House of Representatives; Ajilete Ward produced Hon. Dada who represented the area in the Ogun State House of Assembly; Owode Ward 1 produced Hon. (Chief) M.A. Ajibola who also served in the Ogun State House of Assembly; Owode Ward 1 equally produced Hon. (Chief) Fatayi Olayode; while Owode Ward 2 produced Hon. (Mrs.) Folakemi Akintayo, all of whom served in the Ogun State House of Assembly.

He further noted that Owode Ward 1 also produced Rt. Hon. Abiodun Akinlade who represented the constituency in the House of Representatives, while Oke-Odan Ward equally produced Hon. Tolu Bankole who served in the Ogun State House of Assembly.

He lamented, however, that Ilobi/Erinja Ward has never been given the opportunity to produce either a member of the Ogun State House of Assembly or a representative at the National Assembly level.

Hon. Amore stated that the situation has continued to generate feelings of exclusion and dissatisfaction among residents and political stakeholders from Ilobi/Erinja Ward over what many perceived as an imbalance in the political arrangement within the Ifekowajo District of Yewa South Local Government.

He therefore made a passionate appeal to elders, leaders, and members of the APC in Yewa South and Ogun State to consider a readjustment in the rotational arrangement within the party in the interest of fairness, justice, and inclusiveness.

“Methinks for equity and fairness, the elders, leaders, and members of APC in Yewa South and Ogun State should look into the anomalies in the rotational arrangement within the party, with a view to giving the good people of Ilobi/Erinja Ward a sense of belonging in the scheme of things.

“I am not fighting anybody, but merely calling the attention of our fathers and mothers in the APC to this silent marginalisation going on in the area without anyone talking about it”, Hon. Amore posited.

The vibrant Information Technology expert turned politician expressed confidence that those saddled with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the party in the Ifekowajo District would, with sincerity and the fear of God, take necessary steps to address the imbalance he raised.

Recall that in a bold and strategic move aimed at deepening quality representation, grassroots development, and people-oriented governance, Hon. Olusegun Olugbemileke Amore recently obtained and successfully passed the screening exercise of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest for the Yewa South State Constituency seat in the Ogun State House of Assembly.

The development has continued to generate excitement, hope, and widespread acceptance among party faithful, political stakeholders, youths, women groups, and residents across Yewa South, many of whom view Hon. Amore as a vibrant, visionary, and grassroots-oriented leader with the competence, capacity, and character needed to provide purposeful representation.

Hon. Amore, who is widely respected for his humility, accessibility, leadership qualities, and unwavering commitment to community development, explained that his decision to join the race was inspired by his passion to serve the people, attract meaningful development to Yewa South, and become a strong voice for the aspirations of the constituency at the state legislative level.