The Oyo State Police Command has arrested three suspected members of a railway vandalism syndicate and recovered stolen railway tracks valued at approximately ₦200 million, in what authorities described as a major breakthrough against economic sabotage and the destruction of critical national infrastructure.
The Command said the suspects were apprehended following a timely tip-off from a vigilant resident, whose intelligence enabled operatives of the Command Monitoring Unit to intercept the stolen railway materials before they could be transported to their intended destination.
According to the police, the operation was carried out on July 14, 2026, at about 1:45 p.m. in the Gambari, Orile-Igbon area of Oyo State.
The arrested suspects were identified as Waheed Ayinde, 54; Muhammed Sani, 27; and Hassan Ibrahim, 22.
Recovered during the operation were vandalised railway tracks estimated to be worth ₦200 million and a HOWO truck with registration number CAL 972 XA (Cross River State), which investigators believe was being used to transport the stolen materials.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the railway tracks were illegally removed from Niger State before being transported into Oyo State as part of a coordinated criminal operation, with Lagos identified as the syndicate’s intended final destination.
Police investigations further showed that each of the suspects allegedly played specific roles in the operation. According to the Command, one of the suspects served as the contracted truck driver responsible for conveying the stolen railway materials to Lagos, another allegedly coordinated aspects of the operation, while the third provided a temporary storage facility in Ogbomoso pending the clandestine movement of the railway tracks to their final destination.
The Command disclosed that the suspects have made useful confessional statements and are cooperating with investigators.
Police said efforts are ongoing to track down other members of the syndicate who remain at large, recover additional exhibits linked to the operation and conclude investigations before prosecuting all those involved.
Reacting to the operation, the Commissioner of Police, CP Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, praised the vigilance of the member of the public whose information led to the arrests, describing the success as evidence of the effectiveness of intelligence-led policing and community collaboration.
The police commissioner urged residents to continue supporting law enforcement agencies by providing credible and timely information on criminal activities, assuring that every actionable intelligence report would receive a swift operational response.
