Stakeholders rally for legislation to prohibit illegal sales

By Fidelis Ugbomeh

Concerned about increasing spate of forceful vandalization and random picking of critical National Assets especially serviceable and unserviceable railway materials, stakeholders in railway sector have enjoined the National Assembly to pass a legislation that prohibits illegal sales and demand of such materials in open market.

They also advocated for Imposition of severe penalties on buyers and merchants of vandalised public assets, particularly targeting the economic drivers of this crime.

According to Dr. Stanley Onyedikachi Onovo, a public commentator, members of National Assembly should also pass a law mandating stringent federal regulation of all scrap metal dealers nationwide.

He said that to secure our railways, power installations, and other critical assets, there must be institutional resolve with strong, deterrence-based law.

“Legislation that dismantles the market for stolen public property is not an option; it is a national imperative for Nigeria’s security and industrial future”, Onovo declared.

Corroborating, Mr Eric Umezurike, Managing Director Allwell Logistics limited noted that destruction and theft of railway infrastructure and other critical public assets represent one of the gravest threats to national development and security.

He stated further that from Warri-Itakpe, Abuja-Kaduna and Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge railway corridors, to the Eastern, Western and Northern districts of narrow gauge network, vandals have systematically dismantled tracks, stole armoured cables amongst other essential materials.

President general, Nigerian Union of Railway Workers (NUR) Comrade Jonathan Luka Ajiji said that staff involved in any form of stealing including illegal sales of scraps, siphoning of diesel and false declaration of loaded containers as empty should be disciplined to serve as deterrent to others.

He therefore advised any staff found culpable not to seek redress from the union as it will not interfere in any matter concerning fraud or stealing of any railway property.

Ajiji also said that any staff found wanting as an accomplice or perpetrator of any of the aforementioned cases will face disciplinary action and not protection from the union.

Former secretary general of the union and railway safety enthusiasts, Comrade Segun Esan enjoined the union and it’s affiliates to be in vangaurd of deliberate advocacy for the entire workers to shun temptations that could lead to plundering railway assets.

According to him the safety of passengers and goods should be considered paramount adding that workers caught in web of vandalization should be profiled and summarily dismissed from service if found wanting.

Reported cases

The act of vandalism is perpetrated by a network of individuals to organised merchants who purchase and export stolen materials. Security reports and countless arrests underscore the scale of the problem.

In December 2023, for instance, a private security firm arrested 13 suspects for vandalising Abuja mass transit rail assets.

The suspects were said to be casual workers engaged by a Chinese company working on the railway projects, but said to have used the opportunity to steal the materials.

On June 2024, it was reported that the Nigerian Army arrested 47 suspected rail track vandals in Kaduna State while In October 2025, police arrested a suspect vandalising railway electrical installations also in Kaduna State.

In December 2025, three persons were arrested in Kwara State for vandalizing and stealing Railway clips and nuts in Offa.

In May 2021, TVC reported some individuals, including one Ejike Okeke were apprehended in Enugu with stolen sleepers and tracks.

By January 30, this year the Nigerian Television Authority reported that the NSCDC, Bauchi State Command arrested five suspects and intercepted a truck carrying vandalized railway tracks.

Lagos-Ibadan and Warri-Itakpe standard gauge railway corridors were not left out of the stealing exercise as some a railway staff and vandal were arrested and prosecuted for stealing cables/rail assets and bolts/nuts respectively

Scrap dealers

Onovo expressed concern over the opaque operations of scrap dealers saying, “Their workshops are often shrouded, hiding the provenance of their materials”.

According to him,this unregulated space fuels not only railway vandalism but also community theft of iron crossing bars in homes to street lamp holders.

Onovo pointed out that trailers loaded with questionable materials move freely from cities and expressways to unknown destinations adding that without regulating this sector, the fight against vandalism remains superficial.

Proactive steps taken

Meanwhile under the present dispensation, with appointment of Dr. Kayode Opeifa as Managing Director/CEO of NRC, there has been a fundamental paradigm shift to engage partners to harness the “unserviceable critical national assets.”

This move has resulted into partnership with experts to manage these assets responsibly and reinvest proceeds as against the era of controversial public auctions which often saw valuable national iron assets disappear or sold at cheaper rates to cronies.

Currently a systematic process ensures these materials are reused or responsibly processed, with revenue reinvested into the Corporation.