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By Fidelis Ugbomeh
The spate of stealing cables used for installation of railway digital signal and communication equipment along the standard and narrow gauge corridors in some parts of the country has remained a source of concern to safety enthusiasts, considering the relevance of these gadgets in regulating movement of trains.
Seperate statements signed by chief public relations officer of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Mr. Calistus Unyinmadu, and made available to DAILY SUN show that, in Kaduna State, on October 14, 2025, Nigerian Railway Police Command arrested Musa Abdullahi, aged 32, a receiver and kingpin of vandalised railway materials in Kaduna.
This was followed by interception of a trailer loaded with railway components along Km22-823 Forom axis (Plateau State) by the Nigeria Police in the early hours of the same day.
There was also a recent case along Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge railway corridor, as unknown persons removed signal machine cap protectors and connection cables on “Switch Point Machine 2” between Agege and Agbado railway station.
However, some respondents to these unabated issue of vandalism attributed stealing of electrical signal and communication equipment along the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge railway corridor to dormancy of equipment installed since flagoff of passenger/freight train service three years ago, while others noted that the case of the Abuja-Kaduna axis may not be unconnected with inadequate security.
Mr. Eric Umezurike, managing director, First Nigeria Limited, faulted the management of the NRC for not activating signal and communication equipment installed along Lagos-Ibadan railway corridor since inauguration of passenger/freight train service by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said installed but not activated ground/aerial traffic lights and cables packaged in sealed kits dot entry and exit points of railway stations along Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge railway corridor.
Umezurike also noted that the “Alex Ekueme Tower,” the edifice named after former the Vice-President for regulating traffic at Ebute-Metta Junction, with installed screen to monitor the position of trains at any given time, has also remained unactivated without any explanation from CCECC and the management of the NRC on why the installed equipment inside and outside the control room remained dormant.
“Instead of putting the installed train traffic lights to use, a flagman is usually stationed near the traffic lights at exit and entry points of Lateef Jakande train station Agbado to either flag on a train driver during departure or flag down during arrival at the station, respectively”, Umezurike noted.
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He reiterated that these electrical signal and communication equipment have been installed for some years without being activated, thus creating the opportunity for vandals to steal them, especially at night.
Umezurike averred that the security architecture of the Nigeria Railway Police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps commands of the corporation should be rejigged to include routine and regular patrols daily and at weekends.
Chairman, Transportation Correspondents Association of Nigeria (TCAN), Mr. Tola Adenubi, also spoke about the spate of stealing abandoned tracks and cables and the relevance of signal and communication gadgets in the proper regulation of train movements.
In a statement, he said the unchecked vandalism of railway assets was eroding the gains made in the last few years under the federal government’s railway modernisation project.
According to him, “As long as there is a market for stolen iron metals, the onslaught against railway assets by vandals will persists.
“It is high time security agencies beamed their searchlight on the activities of metal smelting companies and foundries and how they source for metals”.
He lauded the Nigerian Railway Police for arresting the kingpin of receivers of railway components along Side 2 in Kaduna, adding that the buyers of the components and collaborators within the corporation should be the focus of security agencies.
Managing director/chief executive officer of Nigerian Railway Corporation, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, also expressed concern over increasing attacks on railway electrical and signalling infrastructure.
While commending Nigerian Railway Police for professionalism, intelligence-led operations, and swift action in handling recent arrests and ongoing investigation in some cases, he described recovery of some assets in Kaduna, Abuja and Plateau as clear evidence of renewed synergy between the corporation and security agencies in protection of critical railway infrastructure across the country.
Opeifa reaffirmed the resolve to strengthen collaboration with Nigeria Railway Police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and other security formations to ensure that vandals, receivers and collaborators are brought to justice.
He said such criminal acts amount to economic sabotage, and the NRC’s management will continue to pursue zero tolerance for vandalism through enhanced surveillance, community engagement and intelligence-sharing.
