News
‘Go after vandals, buyers of rail equipment,’ Amaechi orders NRC
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, on Saturday directed the Nigerian Railway Corporation, (NRC) to go after vandals and buyers of rail equipment in the country.
Amaechi, who stated this during the inspection of the Lagos-Ibadan rail corridor in the Oyo State capital, said vandals and buyers of stolen rail items would be prosecuted in a bid to stem such criminal activities in the country.
He decried the recent vandalization of rail equipment along the Warri-Itakpe line.
The minister said: “I don’t know why some Nigerians are like the way they are. I have told the Managing Director of NRC to arrest the buyers of the equipment. It is not enough to arrest the vandals.
READ ALSO: ‘I’m sick and tired of CCECC’, Amaechi complains of contractor on Lagos-Ibadan railway project
“I will compare this to the statement by some people who said why should the National Assembly punish those who pay ransom to kidnappers. That law was first passed by the Rivers State House of Assembly when I was a speaker. The truth is that if there is no demand, there will be no supply.
“If we don’t pay ransom to kidnappers, they will get tired and stop. In the same way, if people don’t buy those metals, nobody will steal them.
“We must approach the judiciary to have court that can dispense justice readily so that people are sent to jail early enough to deter others. We will also encourage our governors to create jobs.”
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
German Police bust alleged Nigerian scam dating ring
German authorities have arrested eleven individuals suspected of being members of a Nigerian mafia group involved in a large-scale dating...
INVESTIGATION: In Kwara, multimillion-naira milk processing plant is abandoned, converted to a chicken outlet
After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs...
SPECIAL REPORT: For Sokoto communities, promise of healthcare is akin to death sentence
In this story, ABDULRASHEED HAMMAD delves into the dire realities of Primary Health Care services in Sokoto State, shedding light...
ICYMI…SPECIAL REPORT: NNPCL hides behind PIA to frustrate disclosure, accountability
Nigeria’s major oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in what appears to be a common practice of disregard...
INVESTIGATION: Multi-million naira Ekiti resort center remains uncompleted a decade after
The multimillion-naira project, expected to comprise recreational buildings, now consists of cassava farmland, a bush used for excretion, and a...