Tinubu cancels colloquium in honour of Kaduna train attack victims

Former governor of Lagos State Bola Tinubu has cancelled the 13th edition of its annual colloquium as mark of respect for those that died in an attack on a Kaduna-bound train.

Tinubu, a presidential aspirant in the All Progressives Congress (APC), said the event could not continue in the wake of the attack on a train heading to Kaduna state from Abuja.

“I have just been informed of a very sad incident in our country – very sad – that people were killed and bombed on a train to Kaduna from Abuja,” Tinubu told guests at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

“It is a sad incident and calls for serious sober reflection.”

READ MORE: Official silence, uncertainty reign hours after attack on Abuja-Kaduna train

The Kaduna-bound train derailed after explosives believed to be planted on the rail track went off close to Rigasa area of the state.

The train, which took off from Idu Train Station at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, hit the explosive device about 30 minutes to Rigasa train station in Kaduna at a point between Katari and Rijana.

There are no official confirmations on the number of people that died, injured or kidnapped at the time of filing this report.

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Some of the guests at the cancelled Tinubu 13th colloquium celebration include Lagos and Kano state governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Abdullahi Ganduje, former Ogun State governor Ibikunle Amosun, veteran Nigerian journalist Olusegun Osoba and other associates of the APC national leader.

The colloquim was billed to examine emerging global development issues and the importance of good governance for Nigeria to be an influential and respected member of the international community.

Nigeria President Muhammadu was listed as the chairman of the occasion.

Professor Olufemi Bamiro, the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, was scheduled as the keynote speaker – to engage the central theme, ‘Pivoting Nigeria into the new world order: Imperatives of Good Governance’