NRC to investigate ticket racketeering on Abuja-Kaduna train

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced plans to investigate allegations of ticket racketeering on the Abuja-Kaduna train service (AKTS).

In a statement released on Saturday, the corporation’s deputy director of public relations, Yakub Mahmood, said that some officials have been exploiting the challenges passengers face with the online booking platform to engage in illicit activities.

Mahmood urged passengers to be patient as the NRC works to address the issue.

“Information has reached the management of the NRC on difficulties of passengers in obtaining tickets online resulting in ticket racketeering on the Abuja-Kaduna Train Service (AKTS) in recent times,” NRC stated.

“To address the ugly situation, the management has set up a team headed by the deputy director of ICT to investigate.”

In the meantime, the Managing Director of NRC, Mr. Freeborn Okhiria, has appointed Mr. Mohammed Modibo Ibrahim as the new Manager of the AKTS. He has also instructed the director of operations to increase train service frequencies on the route within the next two weeks.

The federal government launched an online ticketing platform for the Abuja-Kaduna train service in January 2021. The platform was introduced to minimise physical contact between passengers and NRC staff.

In November, the corporation also launched an electronic ticketing platform for the Lagos-Ibadan and Itakpe-Warri train services.

This announcement comes after an investigation by TheCable revealed that NRC officials were involved in ticket racketeering on the Lagos-Ibadan train.