OSOGBO – The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), working with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has foiled an attempt to vandalise railway track materials at the siding serving the Dangote Steel Rolling Mills in Osogbo, Osun State.
The attempted vandalism was uncovered on Friday, August 28, 2026, after the Principal Track Officer (PTO), Osogbo, alerted the District Engineer, Western District, Ibadan, Austin O. Ohenhen, to suspicious activity around the siding.
The NRC disclosed this in a statement signed by its Chief Public Relations Officer, Callistus Unyimadu, on behalf of the corporation’s management.
According to the NRC, the facility, formerly known as the Osogbo Steel Rolling Mills siding, is currently not operational.
Following the report, the PTO proceeded to the site with security personnel. However, the suspected vandals reportedly fled after sighting the operatives.
A search of the area later led to the recovery of nine oxygen gas cylinders, which the NRC said were allegedly brought to the site for use in the planned vandalism.
Personnel of the NSCDC Railway Command and other security operatives have since secured the affected railway materials and the surrounding area.
Reacting to the incident, the NRC Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Kayode Opeifa, described the intervention as another significant success in the corporation’s efforts to protect railway infrastructure from vandals and economic saboteurs.
Opeifa commended the security personnel for their vigilance and prompt response, urging security formations across the railway network to strengthen surveillance and enforcement against the vandalism and theft of railway assets.
He said railway infrastructure remained a critical national asset whose protection was essential to the safety of rail operations, the sustainability of services and the country’s economic development.
The NRC boss also called on communities along railway corridors to support efforts to protect the infrastructure by promptly reporting suspicious activities around railway tracks, stations and other facilities.
He directed security operatives to intensify efforts to identify, arrest and prosecute those responsible for the attempted vandalism.
