Shehu Sani, others escape death as bandits bomb Abuja-bound train

• FG apologises, probes incident
• Passengers stranded as NRC suspends service on route
• APC rallies support of Nigerians

Bandits, Wednesday night, ambushed an Abuja–Kaduna train, detonating explosives on the rail track and causing unprecedented panic in the Kaduna metropolis.

Former senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, who was among the passengers travelling to Abuja, yesterday, narrowly escaped death when the train ran into a rail track damaged by the explosion.

Sani stated: “Yesterday (Wednesday), bandits attacked Kaduna–Abuja train. They planted an explosive that damaged the rail track and shattered the windshield of the train. They also opened fire, targeting the driver and the tank.”

According to him, the unfortunate incident happened between Dutse and Rijana stations, but the driver struggled to move to Rigasa station.

Following the explosion, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has apologised to passengers.

NRC stated yesterday that the situation had been brought under control by a relieved locomotive that rescued the train to Rigasa Station, Kaduna State.

The Managing Director, Fidelis Okhiria, confirmed the incident to The Guardian in a text message, adding that the corporation was investigating the cause of the explosion.

However, the corporation has suspended, indefinitely, train services along the Abuja–Kaduna route.

In a statement on its website yesterday, NRC asserted that the services were suspended for the safety of passengers and crew.

It added that further information concerning the suspension would be conveyed to the public shortly.

Majority of travellers heading to Abuja have been left stranded due to the incident that happened a few weeks after a memo reportedly leaked about Boko Haram terrorists fleeing from Sambisa forest to Rijana Forest in Chikun Local Council of Kaduna.

However, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rallied the support of well-meaning Nigerians to tackle the menace of insecurity in the polity.

Reacting to the attack by terrorists on a train en-route Abuja from Kaduna, APC condemned the dastard act.

According to APC’s caretaker committee secretary, Nigerians by now have realised that the APC led-government of President Muhammadu Buhari means well for Nigerians and is doing everything possible to deliver infrastructure to Nigerians amid difficult economic times, globally.

“We must stay united, so we can defeat the agents of destruction who have vowed to set Nigeria backwards.”