The Nigeria Railway Corporation workers under the aegis of the Nigerian Union of Railway Workers have condemned the “criminal and unpatriotic act of organised vandalisation and thieving” of Nigerian Railway tracks and other valuable assets.
This was contained in a statement jointly signed by President-General of NUR, Innocent Ajiji, and the Secretary General, Segun Esan, on Friday.
The duo said the union viewed the crimes, especially the recent case in Nassarawa State as not just a crime against the rail transport sub-sector, but also against the citizenry and the Nigerian state.
The document stated in part, “We totally condemn the criminal and unpatriotic act of organised vandalisation and thieving of Nigerian Railway tracks and other valuable assets as recently perpetrated in Nasarawa, allegedly by one Yusuf Musa (Special Adviser to the Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdulahi Sule, on infrastructure), along with his partners in crime among whom are Mohammed Isiaka (former Supervisory Councillor on Education in Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area), Mr Marta Thai (Chinese national and manager of Yong Xing Steel Company Abuja, who is the receiver of the stolen railway assets), Jacob Emmanuel (Procurement officer of the Chinese company), and operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
“The entire Nigerian Railway workers view this unfortunate incident involving such a high-calibre team of criminals as not just a crime against the rail transport sub-sector, but a heinous siege against the citizenry and Nigerian state, and a drain pipe against the commendable financial commitment, political will and quest of the Federal Government of Nigeria in evolving a better, more efficient and effective rail transport system.”
The group said the crime is against the social integration of Nigeria, which in its view can only can be achieved by a sustainable railway transport as a prime and additive distributor of the nation’s populace.
“It is a crime and an attack of massive and unquantifiable destruction to the nation’s transport economy, which rests on the rail transport infrastructure as its backbone and mainstay. It is indeed a crime against all of us Nigerians, who procured and built this vandalised railway with our collective patrimony,” it said.
The union also demanded full support of the Federal Government, Nasarawa government and Railway management for the Inspector-General of Police, to enable the security agency carry out “a full scale investigation, diligent scrutiny and an unbiased profiling of all involved in this condemnable act of vandalisation and thieving of railway tracks and assets for an encounter with the law.”
According to the railway workers, should a thorough investigation be made, more actors and collaborators behind the vandals, thieves and buyers, would be exposed.
