Chinese‑linked steel firms nationwide shut as NSCDC exposes alleged multi‑billion naira railway theft ring

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has initiated one of the largest economic sabotage crackdowns in recent years, sealing all operational sites of Inner Galaxy Steel Company and Jiuxing Integrity Industrial Ltd. The action follows allegations that the firms were involved in large‑scale vandalism and recycling of stolen railway infrastructure nationwide.

Security officials said they uncovered a highly organised criminal network that dismantled critical railway assets and converted them into commercial steel products valued at billions of naira.

In a statement released Monday, NSCDC spokesman Afolabi Babawale announced that court orders had authorized the immediate closure of the companies’ headquarters, branches and subsidiaries across the country as investigations into infrastructure theft, economic sabotage and terrorism financing intensified.

Suspects linked to the syndicate face serious charges, including conspiracy to commit felony, theft, destruction of railway infrastructure, obstruction of railway operations, concealment of stolen property and support for terrorist activities.

Using valid court warrants, operatives from the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad raided the companies’ facility in Birnin Yero, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The raid uncovered large quantities of railway sleepers and tracks that had been removed from national rail corridors.

These recovered materials have been handed over to the Nigerian Railway Corporation and preserved as evidence for prosecution.

Investigators report that an extensive logistics chain was used to transport vandalised railway materials from various parts of the country to the firms’ facilities for melting and industrial recycling.

According to the NSCDC, confessions obtained from arrested workers indicate that stolen railway components were routinely moved to the companies’ headquarters in Aba and other branches, where they were transformed into roofing sheets, nails and other steel products for commercial distribution.

The Corps has also extended its closure order to the companies’ headquarters in Ahala Ukwa Village, Umuahala Community, Obuzor Ukwu, Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State, and to another major operational hub in Tasha Rawayyah, Gusau, Zamfara State.

Security officials described the operation as a major breakthrough in the fight against organised economic crimes that threaten Nigeria’s fragile infrastructure and national security.

The NSCDC disclosed that Chinese nationals linked to the management of the companies have been formally summoned for questioning but have not yet responded to investigators.

Commandant General of the NSCDC, Ahmed Audi, instructed the Commandant in charge of the Special Intelligence Squad, Appollos Dandaura, to conduct the investigations with “absolute diligence and professionalism.”

Audi pledged that every individual found culpable would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

“Every single suspect found culpable in this bleeding of our nation’s commonwealth will face the full wrath of the law. The NSCDC remains fiercely committed to reducing infrastructure vandalism to the absolute minimum,” he said.

The Corps also praised the judiciary for swiftly granting legal orders that prevented alleged tampering with critical evidence, and urged Nigerians to continue providing credible intelligence that can expose economic saboteurs undermining the country’s development.