Nigerian govt may consider death penalty for vandalisation of rail tracks – Amaechi

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said on Monday the Federal Government may consider capital punishment for vandalisation of rail tracks in the country.

Amaechi, who disclosed at a Town Hall Meeting on “Protection of Public Infrastructure” in Abuja, said vandalisation of railway tracks is a capital offense and should be treated as such.

He said: “I am not quantifying the material cost; what I am quantifying is the lives that will be lost.

“Imagine that a railway driver is driving and suddenly bumps into a track that has been severed what happens?  It will derail.

“Each coach in Nigeria carries about 85 passengers, sometimes we carry 14 coaches, sometimes 20.

READ ALSO: ‘Go after vandals, buyers of rail equipment,’ Amaechi orders NRC

“So imagine you are carrying a train of 14 or 20 coaches with 85 passengers in each coach,  if it derails, can you quantify how many passengers that would have died in the course of one man thinking he is making money.

”So, it is not about the cost but the lives that would have been lost because of a few interests.

”Some people have recommended that since these people are killing people, if an accident happens people will die. So we may go back to the National Assembly and pass a law that does not only criminalise the action but consequences should be death.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

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.

Donate Now