Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna state has confirmed that eight dead bodies have been recovered, 26 people were injured, while several passengers of the Abuja-Kaduna train that were attacked on Monday night by bandits are still missing.
The train departed Abuja minutes after 6pm on Monday night but was attacked between Kateri and Rijana as bandits bombed the train track leaving the train stranded before attacking the train and it’s passengers.
Kaduna state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan in a statement on Tuesday said, “the Kaduna state government has received from the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), the detailed passenger manifest for the Abuja-Kaduna train service AK9 which was attacked by terrorists on Monday.
“According to the documents received, 398 passengers bought tickets for the trip, but 362 were validated as having boarded the train through the recognised turnstile. The passenger manifest does not include NRC staff and security officials who were on board.
“Security agencies have reported that eight bodies were recovered and 26 persons were injured during the attack. Investigations are still ongoing to ascertain the status of the passengers who were on board the train and remain unaccounted for at the time of this update. Search operations are also being sustained.
“Citizens are requested to contact the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency on the phone line 09088923398, to make enquiries or provide information regarding passengers who were on board the Abuja-Kaduna train AK9.”
Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Faruk Yahaya, on Tuesday visited the scene of Kaduna – Abuja train attack. The COAS, who was accompanied by some principal staff officers of the Army Headquarters and the General Officer Commanding 1 Division, on arrival at the scene, assessed the security situation around the general area of the attack and inspected the attacked train, as well as the rail track to evaluate the degree of damage.
He then ordered the troops of the NA and other security agencies to intensify their search and rescue operations to hunt down the terrorists and ensure that the kidnapped victims are rescued unconditionally.
In the same vein, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed shock at the twin attack by bandits on Kaduna International Airport on Saturday and Abuja-Kaduna train on Monday, noting that the attacks and dominance by bandits is unprecedented in Nigerian history.
PDP in a statement signed by the Chairman Kaduna state chapter, Hon. Felix Hassan Hyat said, “the PDP received with shock, news of an attack on a passenger train along the Abuja-Kaduna railway last night. This is coming barely 24 hours after a similar attack on the Kaduna International Airport by terrorists in which a staff of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) lost his life.
“The speed at which bandits and terrorists are taking over communities, highways, and most recently the airport and railway is unprecedented in the history of Kaduna state. Hapless citizens have continued to be killed, maimed or displaced with no signs that the bandits would be slowing down or the APC-led government in the state would bring the insecurity challenge to an end.
“The current security malaise in the state is certainly not what the people of Kaduna state bargained for. No one could ever have imagined, seven years ago, that a time would come when bandits and terrorists would take over our communities, our highways or even railways in such a brazen and daring fashion. There’s simply a total failure of governance especially as it affects the security of lives and property. This is unacceptable.
“We therefore call on the governor of Kaduna state to take charge of our security and governance in the state immediately by leading from the front. The practice where government reduces itself to merely issuing updates with names of fatalities, each time there’s an attack, without doing more, has got to stop.
“In this regard, we demand an urgent security summit comprising relevant stakeholders in the state to find solutions to this lingering existential problem, before it is too late. We appeal to citizens to remain calm, and pray for the repose of every soul needlessly killed, as well as speedy recovery for those receiving treatment.
“The PDP shall continue to hold this government to account and remind it of its constitutional responsibility of safeguarding lives. We will not rest on our oars until peace returns to every part of our dear state.”
