By Our Reporters
Three months after the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps announced the arrest of suspected railway vandals and sealed two Chinese-linked steel companies, the agency has yet to prosecute any suspects, raising fresh questions over the status of what was touted as a major breakthrough against economic sabotage.
The agency is facing mounting pressure over its handling of one of the most high-profile crackdowns on infrastructure vandalism in recent years, following a report by The Cabal Newspaper which alleges that the investigation may have been compromised through intervention by the Chinese Embassy.
In May 2026, the NSCDC announced it had uncovered what it described as a “highly sophisticated syndicate” systematically vandalising Nigeria’s railway infrastructure nationwide.
Acting on court warrants, operatives of the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad raided facilities belonging to Inner Galaxy Steel Company and Jiuxing Integrity Industrial Ltd, recovering substantial quantities of railway sleepers and tracks allegedly stolen from national rail corridors.
The Corps secured court orders sealing the companies’ headquarters, branches and subsidiaries nationwide, while large quantities of recovered railway materials were handed over to the Nigerian Railway Corporation as exhibits for prosecution.
The NSCDC said its preliminary investigation exposed an extensive logistics chain through which vandalised railway components were allegedly transported from different parts of the country to the companies’ facilities for melting and recycling into commercial steel products such as nails and roofing sheets.
Confessions allegedly obtained from arrested workers revealed that stolen railway components were routinely moved to the companies’ headquarters in Aba and other branches where they were converted into commercial products.
Commandant General of the NSCDC, Ahmed Audi, directed the head of the Special Intelligence Squad, Appollos Dandaura, to conduct the investigation with what he described as “absolute diligence and professionalism.”
Audi vowed that anyone found culpable would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
“Every single suspect found culpable in this bleeding of our nation’s commonwealth will face the full wrath of the law,” he declared.
Three months later, the promised prosecution remains elusive.
The Cabal Newspaper’s investigation has established that the public has received no substantive update on the prosecution of those arrested, the outcome of investigations, the status of the seized companies or the Chinese nationals linked to their management who, according to the NSCDC, were summoned for questioning.
The NSCDC had disclosed in May that Chinese nationals linked to the management of the companies had been formally summoned but were yet to honour investigators’ invitation. Whether they eventually appeared before investigators remains unclear.
More troubling is an allegation within the security agency that some officials involved in the investigation may have been compromised through the intervention of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to The Cabal Newspaper on condition of anonymity.
The most explosive aspect of the emerging controversy is the allegation that the diplomatic dimension of the case may have contributed to the apparent slowdown in the investigation.
The Cabal Newspaper’s investigation further found that the locations identified by the Corps are situated in areas that have experienced serious security challenges.
One of the facilities raided by NSCDC operatives is located at Birnin Yero in Igabi local government area of Kaduna State, while another major operational hub was identified at Tasha Rawayyah in Gusau, Zamfara State.
Further questions emerged from an examination of Inner Galaxy Steel Company’s website. The company’s website showcases its steel products, manufacturing processes and corporate activities but provides remarkably limited information about the individuals behind the business.
On the “About Us” section, the chairman’s message is accompanied by a photograph of a Chinese man without a name attached to the image.
The NSCDC has not publicly disclosed whether forensic examination of the recovered materials has been completed, how much railway infrastructure was recovered, where the materials were allegedly stolen from, or whether investigators have established the full chain of suppliers, transporters, middlemen and buyers allegedly involved in the operation.
Neither has the agency provided a detailed account of the individuals arrested or disclosed whether additional arrests were made following the initial operation.
The Devastating Cost of Railway Vandalism
The urgency of this case becomes clearer when examining the devastating cost of railway vandalism to Nigeria’s economy and its people. Since 2020, the country has recorded more than 189 derailments across its rail network, according to The Guardian Nigeria, which reported that the 189th derailment occurred in November 2025, underscoring longstanding deficiencies in infrastructure protection and operational safety.
The National Bureau of Statistics recorded 183 derailments between 2020 and 2022 alone, making them the most common type of rail accident.
The human toll is even more alarming. In January 2019, a train derailment at Ashade claimed the life of one passenger, The Guardian reported. In another tragic incident, a narrow-gauge train conveying soft drinks from Lagos to Kano derailed at Farin Ruwa, near Jaji in Kaduna State, killing the train driver, Bala Kawu, after vandals removed slippers and other accessories from the rail track. In August 2025, 21 passengers were injured when the Abuja-Kaduna train derailed, according to reports by Independent Newspaper and The Guardian.
Similar incidents were reported on the Abuja-Kaduna track earlier this year and, most recently, on the Warri-Itakpe corridor due to the activities of vandals.
The economic impact has become starkly evident. Independent Newspaper reports that NRC’s contribution to GDP plunged to -2.835% in Q4 2025, a dramatic reversal from 42.576% growth in the same period of 2024, following a series of derailments and service disruptions linked to vandalism and theft.
This decline has occurred despite an estimated $17.7 billion invested in railway rehabilitation and modernisation between 2006 and 2025, according to Independent Newspaper.
The scale of loss is staggering. Between 2020 and 2025, more than 188 rail-related incidents were recorded, many directly linked to vandals and organised criminal syndicates targeting railway assets, Independent Newspaper reported.
In one recent case, three suspects were intercepted while transporting stolen railway materials valued at approximately N200 million from Niger State to Lagos. In another incident, police arrested two suspects in Nasarawa State and recovered vandalised railway materials valued at more than N400 million.
The Guardian also reported that over 150,000 rail clips were stolen between 2022 and 2023, highlighting the organised nature of the theft network. The staggering number of stolen clips, critical components that secure tracks to sleepers—underscores the scale of the threat facing Nigeria’s railway infrastructure.
NRC Managing Director Kayode Opeifa has warned that railway materials are critical national assets, not scrap metals for illegal trade.
“The removal of railway components can lead to devastating train accidents, loss of lives, disruption of transportation services and destruction of government investments worth billions of naira,” he stated.
He described the recent attacks as “a direct threat to national security, public safety, economic growth and human lives.”
Critics say this has become a tragically predictable cycle. The NSCDC announces arrests, parades recovered materials and promises prosecution, yet within weeks, vandals strike again. The NRC, they argue, remains largely reactive, more focused on recovering stolen assets than on preventing the crimes in the first place.
Experts have cautioned that the true economic toll, spanning repairs, service disruptions, security costs, lost productivity and foregone economic opportunities, far outweighs the mere replacement value of the vandalised infrastructure.
The persistent vandalism has exposed glaring gaps in the protection of critical national assets. Despite billions of naira invested in railway rehabilitation, the country’s rail corridors remain vulnerable to organised criminal networks that operate with impunity, often with suspected complicity from within security agencies and the scrap metal industry.
Three months after the dramatic crackdown, Nigerians are still waiting for answers. Who has been charged? What happened to the suspects? Were the Chinese nationals interrogated? What became of the investigation? Will the companies ultimately face prosecution? The NSCDC’s transparency and institutional credibility are undoubtedly on the line.
For now, Nigerians continue to bear the cost, in lives lost, economic disruption and destroyed public assets, while the promised prosecutions remain nowhere in sight.
Earlier efforts by Spear News Nigeria to obtain a response from the spokesman via telephone calls and WhatsApp messages were unsuccessful, as he declined to speak.
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