Femi Ashekun/
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has accused the Oyo State Government of destroying railway assets worth several millions of naira in Ibadan, describing the incident as a grave violation of federally owned infrastructure.
In a press release issued in Lagos on Tuesday, the corporation said the destruction occurred within Ibadan South-West Local Government Area and affected critical rail facilities along the protected railway right of way.
According to the NRC, the alleged demolition was carried out on Monday, February 2, by officials of the Oyo State Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, reportedly led by the Chairman of Ibadan South-West Local Government Council, Kehinde Adeyemi Ananda.
The corporation claimed the team included ministry officials, persons dressed in Nigerian Army uniforms and operatives of the Amotekun Corps.
The corporation stated that railway tracks, sleepers, signal posts, billboards, rail fences, as well as property belonging to NRC tenants and staff residences, were destroyed and removed at the Mile One axis in Ibadan.
It added that the action endangered railway operations and compromised safety along the corridor, which it described as a clearly defined and statutorily protected railway right of way.
The NRC further alleged that the council chairman claimed he was acting on the instruction of the state governor.
The Managing Director of the NRC, Kayode Opeifa, called on the Oyo State Government and the Ibadan South-West Local Government chairman to intervene urgently to halt what he described as a breakdown of law and order and the continued abuse of federal railway assets.
He reaffirmed the corporation’s commitment to maintaining the rule of law and protecting railway workers and infrastructure across the country.
The press release was signed by the NRC’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Callistus Umeh, on behalf of management.
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