Concerns over rising attacks on Abuja-Kaduna train

On July 26, 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the Abuja-Kaduna rail line for commercial use.

Four years later, the service has carried over 4 million passengers, but with attendant rise in attacks by hoodlums.

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There have been several reported incidences of stone attacks at the train along the route which has recorded high insecurity issues for road travellers.

Daily Trust also learnt that there were also unreported attacks which eyewitnesses described as ‘not severe’.

The first reported attack was on March 8, 2018 at Rijana village in Kaduna when it was en-route to Rigasa destination in Kaduna.

The NRC management had said kids threw stones at some of the coaches as the train passed by.

Some other attacks happened between 2018 and 2020.

But the most recent attack by alleged hoodlums was on Monday, September 14, 2020 when some people hurled stones at an Abuja bound train from Kaduna leaving some of the glass windows shattered. Two different trains were attacked the same day.

The other was headed to Kaduna.

A cross-section of passengers who use the train service are becoming agitated over the increased spate of attacks.

A passenger, Mustapha Shehu, told our correspondent that the rising attacks was becoming scary.

“Although we haven’t heard that a passenger sustained an injury over these stone attacks but maybe, one day we will have casualties’.

“So please let the authorities do something,” he said.

Another passenger, Mr. John Dogo, said he tasked the NRC management to contain the security threats before it escalates.

A supervising official of the route, said: Mr. Pascal Nnorli, said each time there is an attack, the train doesn’t usually stop.

The Monday incident where the train stopped was an error, he said.

“But I have cautioned them because you don’t know the plans of the person stoning. Maybe they have laid ambush you wouldn’t know.

“We held a security meeting and we have discussed it at length.

“We will form the Police Community Relations Committee so that the leaders of those communities on the corridor will be included in the security architecture.

“We also introducing patrol with the rail-bus as far as the operations can permit.

“It will be a joint patrol with the Police and Civil defense.

“We are also going to go to the community for intensified advocacy to enlighten them on the dangers of allowing their children to throw stones at the train,” he said.