FG to Reopen Abuja-Kaduna Rail After Seven Months

By Adedapo Adesanya

The federal government has disclosed that train services on the Abuja-Kaduna rail line would resume this November after seven months of inactivity due to a terrorist attack that claimed lives and saw the kidnap of over 100 people.

The Minister Of Transportation, Mr Mu’azu Sambo, made this known on Monday, November 7, while giving the scorecard of his ministry in Abuja.

He said adequate security had been put in place to ensure the safety of passengers but did not give any specific date for the resumption.

Mr Sambo said the ministry had learnt enough lessons from the attack in March that led to the suspension of train services on the Abuja-Kaduna route.

The Minister also noted that a system has been put in place that will ensure prompt monitoring of movements on the rail tracks.

According to him, the system would afford President Muhammadu Buhari, concerned ministries and agencies, as well as security agencies, the opportunity to see what goes on on the tracks without delays.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) suspended train services along the route after Boko Haram terrorists attacked a moving passenger train in Kaduna on March 28, 2022.

The insurgents had blown up the rail track and bombed the moving train, killing some and abducting more than 60 passengers. The unprecedented attack attracted international and national outrage.

The terrorists, who attacked the train in Kaduna, released hostages in tranches, with the last released on October 5, 2022.

Distraught family members had protested several times to demand the release of their loved ones.

Mr Sambo had said the Abuja-Kaduna rail line would not resume until all those kidnapped by bandits in March were rescued and reunited with their families.

In a statement on March 29, the NRC stated that the suspension was due to “unforeseen circumstances.”

“Dear passengers, due to unforeseen circumstances, train operations along the Abuja-Kaduna route have been temporarily suspended. Further communication would be given in due course,” it stated.