The Nigeria Railway Corporation has suspended the Lagos-Kano and Ajaokuta train services due to fear of terrorist attacks.
Multiple sources in the Ministry of Transportation and the NRC confided in one of our correspondents that the train services would not resume until the security along the Lagos-Kano route and the Ajaokuta train station was guaranteed.
It was also learnt that the NRC suspended services at the Ajaokuta station along Warri-Itakpe route because of the attack on some passengers by gunmen on Monday.
It was gathered that the Lagos-Kano train services were suspended because of the high level of insecurity in Niger and Kaduna states, which are the routes of the train heading to Kano from Lagos.
The NRC Managing Director, Fidet Okhiria, confirmed the suspension of the train services at the Ajaokuta station and the Lagos-Kano route on Tuesday.
Speaking on the services along the Warri-Itakpe route, he stated, “We have not stopped (services), rather what we said was that we are not going to be stopping at the Ajaokuta station.
“This is because yesterday (Monday), while passengers were leaving the station with their private cars and buses, they had people shooting at them. So we said we will not stop there again for passengers.
“The train is still running, but for now we will not be stopping at Ajaokuta because they have some concerns there. We heard that they removed their traditional ruler in that location and the local government chairman there.”
According to him, apart from the Abuja-Kaduna route, the corporation had also suspended services on the Lagos-Kano route because of security concerns.
Asked if there was any other train service that was not operating aside from the Abuja-Kaduna service, the NRC boss said, “No, apart from the Lagos to Kano (train service) because the Kaduna route is affected by the activities of bandits; and it (Lagos-Kano route) was stopped because we have to pass through Minna and Kaduna when heading to Kano. So we have to stop it for now.”
The Federal Government had on August 13, 2021, resumed the operations of the Lagos-Kano train service.
The Regional District Manager, Northern District of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Mr. Ismail Adebiyi, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria on August 8.
In March, this year, the corporation denied reports that it had suspended the Lagos-Kano train service after a derailment in Jebba, Kwara State in February.
Okhiria, however, stated that the Federal Government had improved the security on the trains, adding that more men from the police and civil defence were being deployed to protect the facilities.
“We have asked them to intensify security by giving us more policemen and civil defence officers,” he stated.
According to him, the Lagos-Ibadan train service was still running, adding that other services aside from the Abuja-Kaduna and Lagos-Kano services were also operating.
After the bombing of the Abuja-Kaduna train, the government had adopted some measures to boost security on the train services.
In April, the NRC announced that beginning from May this year, it would start linking the profiles of its train passengers with their National Identification Numbers.
Also in April, the government directed the corporation to handover tickets and passengers’ identification to Secure ID, the company in charge of the e-ticketing platform for Abuja-Kaduna rail service.
When asked when the train service would resume, he said, “It is very important to get those Nigerians that have been kidnapped reunited with their families, otherwise, it will appear the government is not sensitive.
“Whereas, the government is not only sensitive but is doing everything it can to make sure that those who have been affected by this abduction are reunited with their families. I think it is an important step to do, first and foremost.
“Secondly, you must put in place adequate security and infrastructural measures to protect and prevent all forms of threats that are possible and leave what you cannot do to God. But everything humanly possible must be put in place to ensure that the recurrence of this act is automatically eliminated forever.”
Sambo added, “Technology can make that possible and we are trying to deploy the best technology available anywhere in the world that has served very well in other jurisdictions which we believe can also serve us very well in Nigeria.”
The minister said the government was in the process of procuring sensors, adding that it would ensure that it puts in place every infrastructure that would safeguard lives and properties.
Sambo denied claims that the government had not visited the families of NRC employees kidnapped during the March incident.
In a related development, five abducted passengers of the Abuja-Kaduna train have been released, including a victim who was accidentally shot while in captivity, Mukhtar Shuaibu.
The member representing Suleja Constituency said it would be insensitive on the part of the government if it goes ahead with plans to conduct the local government elections considering that several people across the state are affected by one form of insecurity or the other.
“We are in a very challenging period. Apart from the extant laws, as representatives of the people, we know that holding elections this period will send wrong signals to the people that we do not care about their plight,’’ he added.
Liman questioned the government’s intention for scheduling elections when security of lives and properties should be of utmost importance.
However, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), Tuesday in Abuja, said the country is making meaningful progress in taming insecurity through collaboration across borders.
He also said the successes can be consolidated when other states within and outside the Sahel region cooperate to frustrate the activities of terrorist.
The President lamented that Nigeria is battling its fair share of challenges arising from global insecurity, climate change, COVID-19 aftershocks and the ripple effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict which “has undermined the progress in tackling food security in the last decade.”
According to a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari said these when he received Letters of Credence of the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, James Chrisjtoff and Ambassador of Mexico to Nigeria, Juan Oritz, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The statement is titled ‘President Buhari calls for more international collaboration to tackle insecurity.’
Buhari said, “The devastating effect of global insecurity, climate change and the post COVID-19 era has devastated global economies. Nations continue to struggle to recover from these multiple global challenges.
“The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has undermined the progress countries have achieved in tackling food security in the last decade. While, the political instability in Libya continues to fuel terrorism in the Sahel, as well as scuttle democratic sustenance in both West and Central African regions.
“Nigeria is not left out of the equation, as we are fighting to rid our country of banditry, kidnapping, herder/farmer crisis and insurgency. We are, however, making meaningful progress with the support of friendly countries like yours to sustain these fights until we overcome these challenges.”
He added that these challenges exceeded the capacity of a single country to effectively contain.
Consequently, the Nigerian leader submitted that “The world must, therefore, work closely together.”
To the diplomats beginning their mission in the country, he said “Nigeria counts on your support in cementing the relations between our countries at both bilateral and multilateral levels to surmount these global threats to civilization.”
