The Nigerian Railway Corporation confirmed that acts of vandalism targeting railway infrastructure had intensified across multiple corridors, affecting the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge, Abuja-Kaduna Standard Gauge, and the legacy Western and Eastern narrow-gauge lines. NRC managing director Fidet Okhiria said the corporation recorded more than 40 incidents of vandalism in the first quarter of 2026 alone, with cable theft and equipment removal the primary targets.
The attacks caused repeated service disruptions on the Lagos-Ibadan corridor, with passengers experiencing delays of up to four hours on several occasions. On the Abuja-Kaduna line, vandals removed signalling cables at multiple points, forcing manual operations and reducing train speeds as a safety precaution.
Okhiria stated that the cost of replacing stolen cables and equipment exceeded ₦2 billion annually, with the NRC struggling to keep pace with the rate of vandalism. He called for increased security presence along railway corridors and stricter penalties for those caught vandalising railway infrastructure. Security analysts noted that the attacks were often coordinated by criminal networks with knowledge of railway systems and access to specialised cutting tools.