Railway corporation lauds NSCDC for protection of critical infrastructure

The Managing Director, of Nigerian Railway Corporation, Freeborn Okhirie has commended the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for its role in the protection of critical national assets and Infrastructure (CNAI) including numerous arrests of suspects with vandalising railway slippers and other gadgets.

Okhirie, however, noted that despite these efforts of NSCDC to salvage the NRC from economic saboteurs, the Corporation still suffers losses through vandalism of its installations across the country.

Public Relations Officer of NSCDC, Babawale Afolabi in a statement in Abuja, said Dr Freeborn spoke when he paid a courtesy call to the office of the Commandant General, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi, at the NSCDC National Headquarters, Abuja.

He expressed worries that some Rail tracks were still been vandalize while the number of perpetrators rising despite many arrests of suspects made by NSCDC operatives.

According to him, all hands must be on deck to confront the disturbing ugly trend which he described as an organized conspiracy to commit economic sabotage calling for a stronger synergy amongst critical stakeholders and security agencies to bring perpetrators and sponsors to book.

While assuring the NSCDC of the NRC support and readiness to continue to collaborate with the Corps, Okhirie urged the public to assist by providing actionable intelligence that would lead to arrests of suspects, saying this was the only infrastructure provided by the government to meet the public needs would be secured.

He pledged to leverage the prosecutorial mandate of the Corps by liaising for appropriate investigation and trial of suspects who are being apprehended.

In his response, the CG NSCDC Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi disclosed that over 20 trailers with numerous suspects have been arrested in connection with the crime of vandalism of Railway slippers.

Audi expressed his commitment to work harder in containing the incidence decrying the slow pace encountered in the course of prosecution of suspects.

In furtherance, the CG explained that the Corps would strengthen its disciplinary mechanism and sanction any personnel found culpable in sabotaging the concerted effort and thus solicited the Corporation’s assistance in catering for the welfare of the personnel deployed to their respective duty for the protection of the Infrastructure.

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