Apprehension as many passengers are stranded after Warri – Itakpe bound train derail in Kogi

Many train passengers were left stranded on Sunday when a train from Warri heading to Itakpe in Kogi state derailed in a forest area.

This happened barely three weeks after gunmen attacked the train station in Igueben, Edo State, and abducted many passengers.

Multiple sources said the incident happened inside Kogi forest, with many of the passengers said to have abandoned the train for fear of being taken hostage.

It was gathered that the train left Warri early on Sunday morning and got derailed at about noon inside the thick forest between Ajaokuta and Itakpe.

Another source alleged a case of sabotage, saying that some of the rail tracks may have been removed, which might be responsible for the derailment.

While the officer in charge, Paul Sunday, could not immediately give an account of what actually happened, as he said he was heading to the scene of the accident, another source said that four coaches and the head coach of the train may have been badly affected.

While the stranded passengers were allegedly told by the officials of the Nigeria Railway Corporation to remain calm and sit back in the train to find a way of evacuating them to a safer place, the Kogi stated Police Public Relations Officer, SP William Ayah, told the Guardian that the command had mobilised its men to the place to safeguard the stranded passengers, pending their evacuation.

He said that the team from the command would reinforce the security personnel attached to the train.