POLICE NAB THREE SUSPECTED VANDALS, RECOVER N200M STOLEN RAIL TRACKS IN OYO
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By; Sunmola Ganiyat
The Oyo State Police Command has arrested three suspected members of a railway vandalism syndicate and recovered stolen rail tracks valued at about N200 million in Surulere Local Government Area of the state.
The command said the breakthrough followed a tip-off from a vigilant resident, which led operatives of the Command Monitoring Unit to intercept the suspects in the Gambari, Orile-Igbon area at about 1:45 p.m.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, preliminary investigations revealed that the rail tracks were illegally removed from Niger State and transported into Oyo as part of a coordinated operation, with Lagos intended as the final destination.
The suspects were identified as Waheed Ayinde, 54, Muhammed Sani, 27, and Hassan Ibrahim, 22.
Recovered items included vandalised railway tracks estimated to be worth N200 million and a HOWO truck bearing registration number CAL 972 XA, allegedly used to transport the stolen materials.
Ayanlade said investigations showed the suspects played different roles within the syndicate, including transporting the stolen tracks, coordinating the operation and providing temporary storage for the items in Ogbomoso before their planned movement to Lagos.
He added that the suspects had made useful confessional statements and were cooperating with investigators.
The police spokesperson said efforts were ongoing to track down other members of the syndicate, recover additional exhibits and complete investigations ahead of prosecution.
The Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, commended the resident whose information led to the arrest, describing the operation as evidence of the effectiveness of intelligence-led policing and community collaboration.
He urged members of the public to continue providing credible information to security agencies, assuring them of swift action on actionable intelligence.
The commissioner also reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting critical national infrastructure and preventing Oyo State from becoming a haven for criminal activities and economic sabotage.
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