CG’s Special Intelligence Squad intercepts truckload of vandalised materials on Bauchi-Kano corridor
By DANJUMA AMODU
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested two suspects and recovered a large quantity of stolen railway sleepers in a major operation against vandals targeting the Bauchi-Kano rail corridor.
The operation was carried out by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’s SIS) as part of a wider crackdown on economic saboteurs damaging critical national infrastructure.
The suspects, 65-year-old Alzuma Yakubu and 32-year-old Ismail Muhammad, were intercepted in a Peugeot Boxer vehicle, registration KMC-366-TE, while allegedly transporting vandalised railway materials. NSCDC said the arrest followed credible intelligence on the illegal movement of infrastructure from Tafawa-Balewa Local Government Area in Bauchi State towards Kano State.
NSCDC spokesman Afolabi Babawale said operatives stopped and searched the vehicle along the Bauchi-Kano Road and found a substantial consignment of suspected railway sleepers concealed inside. Yakubu, the driver, and Muhammad, who claimed ownership of the items, were arrested on the spot. Both the vehicle and the recovered materials were impounded as exhibits.
Babawale said the breakthrough came after NSCDC Commandant General Ahmed Audi ordered the relocation of the CG’s SIS to Bauchi State, following reports of rising vandalism in the region. The deployment followed an alarm raised by the Bauchi State governor over the activities of criminal elements allegedly operating under the cover of contractors linked to “Des-Rail Limited.”
Audi directed the squad, led by Commandant Apollos Dandaura, to dismantle networks involved in the systematic destruction and removal of railway infrastructure along the Bauchi-Gombe axis.
Security sources said the suspects were providing useful intelligence to investigators, who are now tracking secret warehouses believed to be used for storing vandalised materials before they are moved to other states for illegal sale.
The NSCDC described the operation as a significant success in the federal government’s efforts to protect Critical National Assets and Infrastructure, particularly railway facilities vital to economic growth and transport development.
The Corps warned vandals, scrap dealers and others involved in destroying public infrastructure that Bauchi and neighbouring states would no longer serve as safe havens for such activities.
Analysts say sustained attacks on railway facilities undermine economic development and threaten the federal government’s plans to modernise Nigeria’s transport network and improve regional connectivity.
