The Warri-Itakpe train service which resumed operations on Wednesday, has derailed on Saturday three days after, a development which now raises concerns about safety as authorities complain of sabotage to rail tracks.
Penpushing reports that the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Kayode Opeifa, confirmed the ugly development in a statement on Sunday.
“We wish to inform the public that a train derailment incident occurred on Saturday at approximately 19:30 hours, involving two out of the seven coaches of our WITS at Kilometre 212+8m, Agbor. Preliminary investigations indicated that the incident may have been caused by suspected track vandalism’, he wrote.
Penpushing further reports that the Managing Director explained that all passengers on the Warri-Itakpe train have been successfully evacuated as at the time of filing this report
‘We are pleased to confirm that all passengers on board were safely evacuated to Agbor, and everyone has been fully accounted for. No casualties or injuries were recorded’, Opeifa said.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Railway Corporation(NRC) said recovery team, supported by security personnel, had been at the site since last night, carrying out recovery operations adding that these efforts were progressing steadily and are expected to be completed soon.
“As a precautionary measure, train services on the corridor have been temporarily suspended today to enable a comprehensive security and safety audit of the track and related infrastructure’, he added.
“We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may cause our valued passengers and the public. Normal operations will resume as soon as it is verified safe to do so’, Opeifa assured.
Penpushing also reports that it would be recalled that the derailment occurred about two months after a similar one that was travelling from Abuja to Kaduna, while its on record that the Warri-Itakpe train service had been suspended for several months to allow the management to carry out urgent and critical track repairs necessitated by the theft of rail tracks.
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), last week, announced that the operations would resume on October 29,2025 following the successful repairs, however, its on record that such derailment are not peculiar to the Warri-Itakpe section of Nigeria’s railway.
Penpushing reports that in August, the Abuja-Kaduna train, carrying over 500 passengers, bound for Kaduna, derailed, however, the management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) successfully evacuated the passengers from the scene
“A total of 618 persons, comprising 583 passengers, 15 NRC crew members, one medical personnel, eight cleaners, and 11 catering staff, were successfully evacuated from the train,” the corporation said at the time.
“Out of this number, seven passengers sustained varying degrees of injury and were immediately transported by ambulances to hospital facilities by medical personnel mobilised to the site.”
Penpushing further reports that, vandalism, old and poorly maintained facilities, sabotage, and terrorism have hindered the efficient performance of the inter-state trains in a country where road transport is the overwhelmingly popular form of transportation.
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