Chinese company staffer, others arrested over Abuja railway vandalism

A private guard company enlisted for the protection of the Abuja mass transit rail, Segad Security and Protection Company, has arrested 13 suspects in connection with the vandalism of armoured cables and other railway equipment.

No fewer than 10 of the suspects were said to be casual workers engaged by a Chinese company working on the railways but said to have used the opportunity to steal the materials.

Parading the suspects on Friday in Abuja, Managing Director and Chief Executive of the company, Hon. Segun Adekola, who was flanked by officials of the Federal Capital Territory FCT Transport Secretariat, said his company has arrested well over 100 suspected vandals over the years.

He, however, regretted that some of those arrested in the past were released on bail, even as some of them went back to the crimes for which they were initially arrested.

He said, “We have been working with relevant stakeholders in the discharge of our duties and acting on a rip-off; we were able to effect the arrest of these people, and we are ready to do more.”

According to him, the suspects would be handed over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for further profiling and prosecution.

Also speaking, Director of Operations at the firm, James Chukwu, said operatives of the company have now gone a step further in arresting buyers of stolen rail components.

He said, “We are the outsourced security company charged with the responsibility of protecting Abuja railway lines. We cover several railway stations, and we also cover the railway tracks to avoid the issue of material vandalism.

“You can see so many of them behind me—about 13 of them who were involved in the vandalism. We have about 10 vandals, while the others are buyers.”

He said the Chinese company had been contacted and was cooperating with investigations.

One of the suspects, who simply gave his name as Obadiah, said they work with a Chinese company that engaged them to mop up worn-out cables, and that in the process, they do help themselves with some of the cables and other metals that they sell to an unnamed company.

While he regretted the unfortunate events that culminated in his arrest, he said the N1,100 daily wage from the company was not enough to sustain him.

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