The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), in collaboration 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 siding, formerly known as the Osogbo Steel Rolling Mills, is currently not operational.
According to the District Engineer, Western District, Ibadan, Engr. Austin Ohenhen, the Principal Track Officer (PTO), Osogbo, received a report on Friday, August 28, 2026, about the ongoing vandalisation of railway track materials at the facility.
Acting on the information, the PTO proceeded to the location with security personnel. However, the suspected vandals fled the scene after sighting the security operatives.
A subsequent search of the area led to the recovery of nine oxygen gas cylinders reportedly brought to the site for the illegal operation.
Security personnel, including officers of the NSCDC Railway Command, have since secured the affected railway materials and the surrounding area.
Reacting to the incident, NRC Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, described the intervention as another significant success in the Corporation’s sustained efforts to protect railway infrastructure from vandals and other economic saboteurs.
Opeifa commended the security personnel for their vigilance and timely response, urging security formations across the railway network to intensify surveillance and enforcement against the vandalisation and theft of railway assets.
He stressed that railway infrastructure remained a critical national asset whose protection was essential to the safety of rail operations, sustainability of services and the country’s economic development.
The NRC boss also reaffirmed the Corporation’s commitment to strengthening its collaboration with relevant security agencies to safeguard railway infrastructure nationwide.
He appealed to members of the public, particularly communities located along railway corridors, to support the campaign against vandalism by promptly reporting suspicious activities around railway tracks, stations and other railway facilities.
Opeifa further directed security operatives to intensify efforts to identify, apprehend and prosecute those responsible for the attempted vandalisation at the Dangote Steel Rolling Mills siding.
He assured that the Corporation would continue to provide the necessary support to security agencies in the collective effort to stamp out vandalism and other activities capable of undermining railway operations across the country.
The headline leads with the successful security intervention while the opening paragraph immediately establishes what happened, where it happened and the agencies involved.