A passenger train derailed in Osogbo, capital of Osun State on Saturday and some of the coaches somersaulted on the track and grounded the movement of other trains traveling to Northern parts of the country.
The accident occurred shortly after the ill-fated train left the Osogbo railway station as some of the coaches plunged into the roadside near the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park where fun seekers usually sit for recreation.
The Police Public Relations Officer for Osun State Police Command, SP Folasade Odoro told Daily Trust that policemen were deployed to the scene to ensure safety of lives and to prevent hoodlums from looting properties or harassing the passengers.
The timely deployment of the policemen to the scene led to the arrest of a bus conductor while the driver of the bus escaped arrest after looting from the scene of the accident.
A white bus with registration number EDO XN 408 BEN in which the driver and his conductor parked the items that they looted from the train was impounded by the police.
Officials of the Nigeria Railway Corporation in Osogbo declined comments on the train mishap, saying that the matter was beyond them and that the NRC regional station in Ibadan, Oyo State has been notified and that top regional officers of NRC in Ibadan were on their way to Osogbo for necessary actions.
Meanwhile, other trains en route the North have become stranded as there was no way they could pass because of the incident while some other trains traveling to Lagos from Kwara state axis could not continue their journey at the time of filing this reports.
Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.
