The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) says suspected vandals have once again destroyed the 33KV electricity line supplying power to the Rigasa railway station and the adjoining NRC village in Kaduna — barely two months after it was restored.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement on Sunday, Kayode Opeifa, managing director of the NRC, said the latest attack has plunged the area back into darkness, just 60 days after repairs were completed following a two-year-long blackout.
Opeifa said NRC officials discovered the damage early Friday, confirming that “criminal elements” had removed vital components of the newly repaired line.
Condemning the increasing vandalism of railway infrastructure nationwide, the MD urged security agencies in Kaduna to ramp up surveillance and ensure the culprits are apprehended. He warned that such acts undermine the NRC’s mandate to provide safe and efficient rail services across the country.
“The corporation assures passengers, host communities, and stakeholders of its unwavering commitment to protecting national railway assets and improving service delivery under the Renewed Hope Rail Agenda,” he said.
Opeifa also commended a recent judgment of the federal high court in Ikoyi, Lagos, which sentenced two men — 27-year-old Mudansuru Mutari and 39-year-old Blorie Kokori — to two years imprisonment each for vandalising components of the Warri–Itakpe rail line.
He said the duo were caught around Kilometre 208 before Abraka, Delta State, and were prosecuted for offences bordering on vandalism and economic sabotage under the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
The NRC boss applauded Justice A.I. Kala, the railway police command, and other security agencies for the thorough investigation and successful prosecution.
Reiterating the NRC’s position, Opeifa said railway infrastructure is public property and not scrap, stressing that the federal government maintains a zero-tolerance policy for vandalism.
