Posted by Twelve alleged rail track vandals were apprehended by troops from the 4 Special Forces, Doma, Nasarawa State, at Angwan Yara, Keana Local Government Area, Nasarawa State.
Maj. Joseph Afolasade, the Command’s Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, made the announcement at a press conference on Friday in Doma.
Maj. Afolasade claims “On June 15, 2023, troops of the Command intercepted five suspected rail track vandals at an abandoned railway station between Angwan Yara and Agyaragu communities of Keana LGA during a routine patrol.”
“The suspects were apprehended with two 12-tyre trucks loaded with a large quantity of rail tracks.”
“On June 18, the troops arrested seven additional suspects who had made confessional statements during the course of the investigation.”
“They admitted to playing various roles in the rail track theft and named some prominent people in Nasarawa and Plateau States as being part of the syndicate,” he added.
Maj. Afolashade further stated that the Army turned down a bribe of N5 million proposed by the suspects.
“They offered N5 million to our personnel to allow them to go with the rail tracks, but our men refused and were arrested,” Maj. Afolasade stated.
He stated that the suspects claimed to have been duped by their sponsors, who are now on the run.
He stated that the suspects had been handed over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for further investigation and prosecution after Maj. Gen. Owyinka Soyele, Commander of the Special Forces, approved it.
When the suspects were received, a representative of the Nasarawa State Commandant of the NSCDC, Afere Joseph, a Deputy Commandant of the NSCDC, expressed gratitude to the Army for their level of collaboration in addressing insecurity in the state.
As a result, he pledged that the accused will be prosecuted following an inquiry as a deterrent.
Hasiru Modibbo, one of the suspects, told reporters that one of his business associates called him and an amount of N300,000 was transferred to the drivers of the two trucks.