The Oyo State Police Command has arrested three suspected members of a railway vandalism syndicate and recovered stolen rail tracks valued at about ₦200 million in a major crackdown on the vandalisation of critical national infrastructure….
The Oyo State Police Command has arrested three suspected members of a railway vandalism syndicate and recovered stolen rail tracks valued at about ₦200 million in a major crackdown on the vandalisation of critical national infrastructure.
Police spokesperson, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, said the suspects were arrested on Tuesday, July 14, at about 1:45 p.m. in the Gambari, Orile-Igbon area of Oyo State following credible intelligence from a member of the public.
The suspects were identified as Waheed Ayinde, 54, Muhammed Sani, 27, and Hassan Ibrahim, 22.
According to the police, operatives of the Command Monitoring Unit intercepted the suspects before the stolen railway materials could be moved to their final destination.
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Officers also recovered vandalised rail tracks estimated to be worth ₦200 million and a HOWO truck with registration number CAL 972 XA, allegedly used to transport the items.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the railway tracks were illegally removed from Niger State and transported into Oyo State, with Lagos identified as the intended destination.
The police said investigations further showed that the suspects played different roles in the operation, including transporting the stolen materials, coordinating the movement and providing temporary storage for the railway tracks in Ogbomoso before they were to be moved to Lagos.
The command said the suspects had made confessional statements and were assisting investigators, while efforts were ongoing to arrest other members of the syndicate, recover additional exhibits and conclude investigations before prosecution.
Reacting to the arrests, the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, commended the resident whose information led to the operation, describing the arrest as proof of the effectiveness of intelligence-led policing and community partnership.
He urged residents to continue providing credible and timely information to security agencies, assuring them that actionable intelligence would receive prompt attention.
The commissioner also reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting critical national infrastructure, stressing that Oyo State would not become a safe haven for criminals involved in economic sabotage
