The immediate past Commissioner, Railway Police Command, CP Yetunde Longe said the formation arrested a total of 213 suspects in one year while she was in charge, confirming the prosecution of the ill-fated Lagos State Staff bus driver.
Longe disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) while assessing her operations at the Command headquarters, Ebute-Metta, Lagos.
She said that investigations into all the suspects arrested were concluded and all were charged to court.
Longe has just been redeployed to the Port Authority Command, Eastern Zone, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, South South, Nigeria.
She disclosed that suspects were arrested from across the country for various offences, including: vandalisation of rail track facilities, whose values were yet to be estimated.
Longe said that between December 2022 and February 2023, 15 suspects were arrested, while 198 others were arrested between February 2022 and November 2022.
She, however, said that under her watch at the Command, the security architecture of the rail line corridor and railway infrastructures were strengthened.
Longe charged all men and officers of the Command to continue to put in their best to ensure safety of persons doing business with the Nigeria Railway Corporation.
“The government, despite its scarce resources, has managed to put such very valuable investment in place and we have some unscrupulous citizens going to vandalise and steal the components used in assembling this rail tracks.
“This is the worst thing a citizen can do to the country or economy. People that have been caught or the ones planning to partake in such activities will face the full wrath of the law.
“This has prompted the I-GP to post more men and officers to areas of such security peculiarities with equipment to curb the menace of incessant vandalism,” she said.
On the train accident involving Lagos state staff bus, Longe said the driver of the bus would be charged to a High Court during the week.
She pointed out that the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has approved his prosecution.
During the March train accident, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, said their investigation showed that the accident was due to reckless driving.
“Investigation gathered revealed that the immediate cause of the incident was due to reckless driving on the part of the BRT bus driver while trying to beat the train traffic signal,” Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu said.
NAN