Abuja-Kaduna train service to resume next week

About two months after the attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train service resulting in the death of nine passengers and the abduction of 62 persons, the Federal Ministry of Transportation has directed that the train service resume on Monday, May 23.

The families of the victims had lamented the lackadaisical attitude of the government in the rescue of their loved ones.

However, the Deputy Director of Public Relations in the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) Yakubu Mohammed, said security agents are making concerted efforts are being made to rescue the abducted passengers, noting that the details are kept out of the public domain for strategic security reasons.

Mohammed assured the passengers that the safe rescue of the passengers remains the top priority of the government, and urged them not to misconstrue the resumption of train services as abandonment or a nonchalant attitude of the government towards their plight.

“The federal government will never abdicate its responsibility in rescuing these valuable citizens, however, the government assures of its resolve not to succumb to threats by any faceless group,” Mohammed said in the statement.

Meanwhile, the Board and management of the NRC have assured that additional security measures are being put in place at both the train stations and track to ensure the safety of the passengers on board.

It maintained that the measures are not only for the Abuja-Kaduna Train Service (AKTS) but also for all the passenger train services, especially on the standard gauge railway lines

NRC urged passengers to patiently comply with additional measures introduced to improve service delivery, ensuring their safety and comfort.

It said passengers will be requested for their National Identification Numbers (NIN) before boarding trains as part of internal security.

Passengers would also be requested to have a valid Photo Identification Card (ID), a reachable telephone number of next of kin or a close relative when buying tickets online.

Offline purchase of tickets is to contain the passengers’ individual profile or identification data.