Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Panic erupted on Monday morning along the Abuja–Kaduna rail corridor after a passenger train derailed midway through its journey, leaving several passengers injured.
Passengers onboard said the incident occurred suddenly when a loud bang was heard, followed by a violent jolt that threw many people off their seats and caused confusion inside the coaches.
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) confirmed that the incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. near Asham, involving a rear locomotive and a passenger coach.
In a statement issued by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the corporation, Kayode Opeifa, the accident was attributed to a fault in the coupling mechanism linking the locomotive to the train.
According to him, preliminary findings indicated that the rear locomotive made contact with the passenger coach behind it after a coupling failure.
Opeifa described the incident as avoidable, adding that emergency response procedures were immediately activated while injured passengers were given first aid before being taken to a nearby medical facility for further treatment.
He, however, stressed that no fatalities were recorded.
Further details from a preliminary report by the National Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) showed that the train, identified as KA2, departed Rigasa Railway Station in Kaduna en route to Idu Railway Station in Abuja within its scheduled service window of 7:15 a.m. to 10:01 a.m.
The report, signed by the NSIB’s Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Funke Arowojobe, said the train arrived at Jere Railway Station at about 8:52 a.m. and departed seven minutes later after an additional rear locomotive was attached to support the journey.
However, shortly after leaving Jere, the rear locomotive reportedly detached while the train was moving down a gradient toward the Asham section.
The detached locomotive rolled forward and rammed into the rear portion of the train, resulting in what officials described as a serious operational incident.
At the time, the train comprised two locomotives positioned at the front and rear, a power car, two business-class coaches, and six standard passenger coaches.
A total of 429 passengers were onboard, alongside 46 crew members and 24 security personnel assigned to the service.
The NRC said technical teams had been deployed to the scene, while the NSIB has commenced a comprehensive investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident.
Authorities assured the public that safety remains a top priority and pledged that measures would be taken to prevent a recurrence as train services continue along the corridor.
