The Kaduna State Government has confirmed that fatalities were recorded in the terrorist attack on a train along Abuja-Kaduna route on Monday.
The state government gave the confirmation in a statement on Tuesday signed by the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan.
Aruwan, however, did not state the number of death recorded but said dead victims and those injured had been taken to hospitals. The names of the hospitals were not mentioned either.
He said, “Evacuation of passengers on the trapped Kaduna-bound train from Abuja has been concluded this morning by security forces, officials of Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and Nigerian Red Cross.
“Passengers who sustained injuries, and other fatalities, have been moved to hospitals. The passengers were evacuated from different hard-to-reach areas in forests and rocky locations in Audujongom, off the Kaduna-Abuja Road.
“As stated yesterday, the Kaduna State Government is still liaising with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to ascertain the list from the passengers manifest for efficient tracking.”
Aruwan said Governor Nasir El-Rufai commended those who participated in the evacuation and appealed to the hospitals to attend to the victims diligently.
He said the governor also directed the Ministry of Health to be in contact with the hospitals, noting that the government would bear the cost of treatment.
“As of the time of this update, search-and-rescue operations are in progress,” he added.
