Fresh security fears as vandals attack Kaduna rail infrastructure after court jails offenders 

Nigeria’s rail infrastructure came under renewed scrutiny on Friday as the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) reported a fresh act of sabotage on a 33Kv powerline feeding the Rigasa Station in Kaduna—barely 48 hours after a Federal High Court jailed two men for vandalising the Warri–Itakpe rail corridor.

The simultaneous developments have deepened concerns about a coordinated pattern of attacks on critical national assets, heightening pressure on security agencies already battling widespread infrastructure sabotage.

According to a statement issued by NRC’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Callistus Unyimadu, vandals struck the newly restored powerline in the early hours of Friday, carting away essential components and plunging the busy station and its adjoining railway community back into darkness.

The power facility had only been repaired 60 days ago after suffering two years of blackout from a previous attack.

The NRC described the latest incident as “a deeply troubling regression,” raising fears of an emboldened network of vandals targeting the nation’s rail system.

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The renewed vandalism came just as the Federal High Court in Ikoyi delivered a landmark judgment sentencing two offenders—Mudansuru Mutari (27) and Blorie Kokori (39)—to two years imprisonment for tampering with the Warri–Itakpe track.

Justice A. I. Kala, who handed down the sentence, warned that attacks on rail infrastructure constitute “a serious threat to national safety,” stressing that Nigeria’s rail renaissance cannot thrive amid persistent sabotage.

Both convicts had been arrested around Kilometer 208 before Abraka in Delta State and were prosecuted under the Miscellaneous Offences Act for vandalism and economic sabotage.

NRC Managing Director, Dr Kayode Opeifa, said the twin incidents demonstrated the scale of the threat confronting the nation’s rail system.

“What we are facing is not petty theft—it is an assault on Nigeria’s economic arteries,” he said, calling for intensified security operations, particularly around high-risk rail corridors in Kaduna, Delta, Lagos and other flashpoints.

Opeifa lamented the rising frequency of attacks, warning that persistent sabotage undermines passenger safety, disrupts operations and imposes heavy repair costs on the government.

He reiterated the NRC’s commitment to sustaining services despite the setbacks while urging communities to support security efforts and report suspicious activity.

Security experts warn that the pattern of sabotage reflects a broader threat to the country’s transportation infrastructure, especially at a time when the government is pushing to expand rail services under the Renewed Hope Rail Agenda.

The repeated attacks on power and track components also raise questions about the capacity of state security outfits to provide adequate surveillance along long, unmanned rail corridors.

As investigations into the Rigasa attack intensify, the NRC assured passengers and residents that emergency response teams are working to restore power while long-term security measures are being strengthened.

Despite these challenges, the Corporation insists that its resolve to protect railway assets and ensure reliable transport services remains unwavering.

Fresh security fears as vandals attack Kaduna rail infrastructure after court jails offenders

Nigerian Railway, SWDC plan Osogbo–Erunmu, Idogo lines reopening to boost food supply, trade

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced plans to revive the Osogbo–Dagbolu–Erunmu and Idogo railway corridors as part of a major push to strengthen regional trade, food distribution and agricultural productivity across the Southwest.

In a statement, the NRC said the project would be executed in partnership with the Southwest Development Commission (SWDC).

According to the commission, the two rail lines—long abandoned—will be dedicated primarily to freight services, enabling the movement of agricultural produce from rural communities to Lagos markets while returning consumer goods to the hinterland. SWDC Managing Director, Charles Diji Akinola, described the corridors as “critical arteries for regional commerce and food security.”

Akinola said the commission’s immediate plan is to operate some of the old, unserved routes under a profit-sharing arrangement, with subsidy options to support smallholder farmers and stimulate agricultural output.

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He noted that the medium-term agenda includes securing operational and track access licences for additional routes, attracting private-sector investors, constructing warehouses along the rail corridors, and developing new spurs to link all Southwest states to the national rail grid.

“Our push for rail revival is inspired by the extensive groundwork earlier done by the DAWN Commission on infrastructure and transport development across the Southwest,” Akinola said. “Regional rail connectivity remains central to the economic revitalisation of the zone.”

The Osogbo–Dagbolu–Erunmu line and the Idogo corridor, he added, are priority routes as the commission intensifies efforts to improve food movement and guarantee food security.

NRC Managing Director, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, reaffirmed the corporation’s readiness to collaborate with SWDC, federal agencies and private investors under initiatives such as the Track Access Programme and Railing With the States, which allow sub-national entities to utilise national rail corridors.

Opeifa said NRC directors have already been directed to work with SWDC’s technical team to develop the Memorandum of Understanding required to bring the lines back to life.

“The revival of these strategic routes aligns with our broader commitment to expand freight rail services and support regional development,” he added.

Nigerian Railway, SWDC plan Osogbo–Erunmu, Idogo lines reopening to boost food supply, trade

NRC begins Iddo Train Terminus transformation, to flush out criminals

• No genuine traders will be displaced, says MD

A major facility is underway at Lagos historic Iddo Train Terminus as the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has unveiled an ambitious plan to reclaim the site from years of decay, criminal encroachment and illegal trading —but with a firm promise that legitimate traders will not lose their spaces.

The NRC Managing Director, Dr Kayode Opeifa, said the corporation was embarking on a “total transformation” of the 125-year-old facility, long notorious for filth, congestion, shanties and illegal occupation.

He spoke during a meeting with leaders of various market clusters operating around the station.

Opeifa said the new intervention would protect bona fide tenants and dismantle only illegal structures, criminal hideouts and shanties built on railway tracks.

“This administration will not take land from anyone who legitimately acquired their space,” he declared.

“But we cannot continue to look away while people build on rail tracks without approval. Iddo is dirty, unsafe and unfit for business. That era is over.”

He said the facelift had already begun with fresh painting of the terminus, adding that electricity, sanitation, toilets and functional public infrastructure would return “in a matter of months.”

To tighten control, all traders will now pay rent directly to the Nigerian Railway Property Management Company Ltd, ending decades of middlemen, undocumented payments and alleged extortion.

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“We must have a full record of every trader. Payments must be direct and transparent,” the MD said, adding that the NRC would not increase rent for now.

Opeifa also disclosed the creation of a dedicated Iddo Business Unit to drive the turnaround, alongside a security push to flush out drug traffickers and criminals who have turned parts of the terminus into hideouts.

“The right tenants will finally enjoy the benefits of conducting business at Iddo. We will leave no stone unturned,” he said.

Traders Welcome New Deal 

For many of the traders, the meeting was the first time they had any direct engagement with an NRC Managing Director — and the tone of relief was unmistakable.

“This is the first time we are seeing the MD face-to-face,” said Alhaji Rashid Bashorun Ajibola, Chairman of the Iddo Railway Terminal Traders.

“For years, we lived with rumours that we would be forcefully ejected. Today, he has calmed those fears.”

Ajibola said Iddo Market plays a key role in Nigeria’s food distribution chain, including rice supplies “to every corner of the country,” and pledged full cooperation with the NRC.

Similarly, Mr. Aina Adekoya, Chairman of the Ijora Olopa Ajeloro Fish Market, said Opeifa’s assurances had restored confidence.

“We are glad he is not here to take our market. He is still the same man we knew when he was Commissioner for Transportation in Lagos — someone who understands the value of traders.”

The traders resolved to mobilise their members in support of the turnaround plan, saying the project could revive the long-faded economic energy that once defined Iddo’s connection to Apapa Port and the wider national supply chain.

NRC begins Iddo Train Terminus transformation, to flush out criminals