Trending on social media has been: “Nigeria Railway Corporation Manifest: 398 tickets bought, 362 confirmed boarded, 970 actually on board. Welcome to the developing story of ticket racketeering in the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC).”

The heightened report over the ticket racketeering disappointingly overshadowed the number of deaths, the injured, the abducted ones, who are still in the custody of the kidnappers and the survivors.

The play up in the ticket racketeering was a resurrection of the controversial incidents of the menace that have become part of the operation of the train services that have refused to be checked.

The latest updated report released by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Fidet Okhiria, as of April 4, 2022, showed that 62 persons cannot be tracked.

“62 phone numbers on the manifest when called responded ‘non-existent’,” the MD, said in a statement.

This shows that the tickets they travelled with may have false details. The Guardian reliably gathered that this is possible because a lot of times, passengers travel with tickets they did not directly purchase.

Also, ticket racketeers may offtake tickets so that they could sell to desperate passengers for a mark-up. It could also mean that some of the passengers might have used false mobile numbers while purchasing their tickets. This happens even on ticket counters where the machines accept any 11-digit number and print out the ticket for a passenger.

Most passengers accept the tickets without questions because their interest is just to board the train to their destinations.

However, in situations of emergency, like the last train attack, those passengers may never be traced, whether they are safe or unsafe.

In the extant case, some of the 62 whose numbers are allegedly non-existent, maybe at home with their families or in the hands of the kidnappers, but it would be difficult to establish their locations and so they cannot be accounted for.

Besides, investigations also revealed that racketeering took a disturbing dimension as a result of COVID-19 social distancing protocols. This is because despite increasing the ticket prices from N1, 300 to N2, 600, as measures to guarantee respectable distance between passengers, the train operators will sell the marked and reserved seats to desperate travellers.

“During the period of COVID-19, passengers bought tickets double the amount because of the social distancing protocol. But it was only observed in breach as the seats expected to be reserved were negotiated and sold to desperate passengers. It was a tactic deployed to ensure that those who are in the queues without tickets at the regular price, but desperate to travel were compelled, in the dying minutes, to negotiate their ways into the train through the facilitation of greedy railway agents,” a source said.

However, experts have said the racketeering in the system if not checked could lead to revenue leakages, which may end up posing even more threats to the financial sustainability of the line than the recent terror attacks.

They said the government needs to look into the racketeering issue as a serious concern, which could jeopardise the operations of the NRC.

They argued that with the unpleasant experiences of passengers, it is time the authorities addressed the problems to curb further hardship passengers go through daily. Also, they believe the perpetrators of the act must be arrested to deter those who may want to cash in on desperate passengers.

Chief Executive Officer, African Railway Consulting Limited, Olawale Rasheed, said the rehabilitation of the damaged tracks would be done early and the deployment of security surveillance alongside other security measures are issued the government and operators must treat as urgent.

Rasheed said whatever bottlenecks and issues are delaying the procurement of such surveillance equipment must as a matter of national emergency be sorted out as quickly as possible.

On loan repayment, he said, “I think that is an ongoing process. This is clearly a national emergency, as the rail must get back on track due to its strategic importance to the North West zone,” he said.

Rasheed said the terror attack can only impact the financials of the railway in the short term and as such the loan repayment won’t be significantly impacted. “The Abuja-Kaduna line is a profitable route. What is needed is to sort out the comprehensive security of the line.”

He said there is also the need to resolve the alleged ticket racketeering in the system. “The revenue leakages may end up losing even more threats to financial sustainability of the line than the recent terror attacks. That is why the e-ticketing option is the way to go,” Rasheed said.

He said the installation of security equipment, the inclusion of routine physical checks, the introduction of drone technology and the resolution of terrorism in North West region are requisite conditions for this profitable line to deliver yield to creditors.

“Additionally, we should block the revenue leakages. This is sucking the blood out of the survival vein of the Abuja-Kaduna line,” he added.

Former Dean, School of Transport and Logistics, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Samuel Odewumi, said an incident is an event foretold.

According to Odewumi, they attempted it last year and the train was able to scale through the blast of the track. “It was just luck then. And to wait until a successful attempt is an agonising part. Nothing is put in place as a deterrent or timely response to attacks. It is such a shame,” he said.

Odewumi said for the minister to pass the buck that the surveillance equipment was not approved is the most disingenuous excuse. “Is the detection of an attack the only component of securing the train? Of course not. Even when you know that they are there, where is the counterforce to engage them?” he queried.

“Where is the local community and intelligence, which could also be effective if properly organised? But because the focus is foreign solutions and contract awards, we couldn’t do any original thinking due to intellectual indolence.”

He said there are simple, cheap drones that can be deployed to fly the distance in a short three relay format that can serve the same purpose.

“Can’t we put a well-equipped commando anti-terror squad on the train? Does that require N3 billion equipment,” he queried.

Speaking on the repayment of loan borrowed for the project, he said as for pay back, those borrowing do not have that as their concern. “If not, what is rocket science in railway technology that we will not develop local capacity for the fabrication that will provide the basis for the local production?” Odewumi said.

On racketeering, he said those in charge are not interested in fighting corruption happening in their time and under their nose. “They are more interested in the corruption and racketeering that happened in Jonathan’s days.

“That is what they love to exhume and showcase as the war against corruption. They don’t want to stop the ones happening in their time. Since APC came into government what institutional structure have they added to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and Code of Conduct Bureau that Obasanjo established?” he said.