NRC workers lament incessant stealing of rail tracks in Rivers

The Port Harcourt chapter of the Nigeria Railway Workers (NRW) has lamented the destruction of railway facilities by hoodlums in the Elelenwo axis of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.

It was learnt that the incident, which happened on Sunday, has grounded the movement of passengers travelling from Port Harcourt to Aba, Abia State, by train.

Speaking to journalists in Port Harcourt, the Vice-Chairman of Nigeria Railway Workers, Port Harcourt branch, Chika Njoku, said the destruction of that railway section was worrisome.

He lamented that the criminals would strike whenever the stolen and destroyed facilities were replaced, noting that the latest incident was the fourth in recent times.

According to him, “They vandalised the rail again, which we have been trying to make sure that the communities and the chiefs should help us. I don’t know what is actually happening.

“Fix it today, and tomorrow they will vandalise. We are not finding it funny at all. That Elelenwo axis, nobody knows who they are, and we can really tell what is happening.

“Sometimes one begins to wonder if it is really the hoodlums. Sometimes I even suspect transporters, but I don’t really know. This is not the first time, not the second and not the third.”

Njoku appealed to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other security operatives to identify the perpetrators and bring them to book.