Army: Rail track vandals tried to bribe troops with N5m after arrest

Troops of the 4 special forces have arrested 12 suspected rail track vandals in Angwan Yara, Keana LGA of Nasarawa.

Joseph Afolasade, acting deputy director of public relations in the command, spoke on Friday at a press briefing in the Doma area of the state.

Afolasade said the troops rejected a N5 million bribe offered by the suspects.

“On June 15, 2023, troops of the command, during a routine patrol, intercepted five suspected rail track vandals at an abandoned railway station between Angwan Yara and Agyaragu communities of Keana LGA,” NAN quoted Afolasade as saying.

“The suspects were arrested with a large quantity of rail tracks loaded in two trucks.

“In the course of the investigation, the troops arrested additional seven suspects on June 18 who had made confessional statements.

“They admitted to having played various roles in the theft of the rail tracks and mentioned names of some prominent persons in Nasarawa and Plateau states as being part of the syndicate.

“They offered to give our personnel N5 million to allow them to go with the rail tracks, but our men rejected the money and arrested them.”

The acting deputy director said the suspects claimed that they were misled by their sponsors who are currently at large.

He added that Oluyinka Soyele, commander of the special forces, has approved the transfer of the suspects to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for further investigation and prosecution.

Afere Joseph, NSCDC commandant in Nasarawa, commended the troops for their efforts in tackling insecurity, adding that the suspects would be prosecuted after investigation.