Major Crackdown: NSCDC Arrests Suspects, Seals Steel Company Over Infrastructure Theft

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has uncovered a large-scale vandalism and illegal recycling network in Kaduna State, leading to the arrest of several suspects and the sealing of a steel company allegedly involved in handling stolen national infrastructure worth billions of naira.

According to the NSCDC, the operation followed intelligence reports and viral videos showing extensive vandalisation of newly installed rail tracks along the Kaduna–Kano corridor. The Corps’ Special Intelligence Squad, working with the Kaduna State Command, launched a coordinated raid that exposed what officials described as a sophisticated syndicate operating under the guise of a scrap metal business.

During the operation, operatives stormed a steel facility in Birnin Yero, Igabi Local Government Area, allegedly linked to the Inner Galaxy Steel Company. The facility was accused of purchasing stolen railway tracks, sleepers, NNPC pipelines, and water infrastructure materials from vandals.

Investigations revealed that the alleged network processed stolen assets by compressing them into scrap before transporting them to other locations for recycling into finished metal products such as rods and nails. Authorities said the recycled materials were eventually sold back into the market, creating a criminal cycle that undermined national infrastructure development.

The NSCDC confirmed the arrest of multiple suspects, including company officials and scrap handlers, while large quantities of vandalised railway materials and suspected pipeline components were recovered from the site. The agency described the value of the stolen infrastructure as running into billions of naira.

The Corps said the facility has been sealed pending further investigation, and all suspects will be prosecuted for conspiracy, unlawful possession of stolen property, and economic sabotage.

Reacting to the development, the Commandant General of the NSCDC commended the operatives involved in the raid, reiterating the Corps’ commitment to protecting Critical National Assets and Infrastructure across the country.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation also confirmed identification of recovered materials and praised the operation as a significant step in curbing railway vandalism.