A passenger train on the Kaduna–Abuja rail corridor derailed on Tuesday morning, leaving some of its cabins overturned and sparking chaos among travellers.
Eyewitnesses who spoke with Sahara Reporters said the incident caused panic, with passengers scrambling to safety. “The scene was chaotic; everyone was rushing out in fear,” one passenger told reporters.
It was not immediately clear what led to the derailment or whether there were casualties as of press time.
The Kaduna–Abuja rail line, one of the country’s busiest routes, has witnessed several disruptions in recent years. Most notable was the March 2022 deadly attack by armed men, which left multiple casualties and heightened concerns about the safety of the corridor.
Tuesday’s derailment is the latest in a string of incidents that continue to cast doubt on the reliability of the service.
Naija News understands that the authorities of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) had yet to release an official statement on the derailment at the time of filing this report.
The incident comes barely a week after the NRC confirmed a fault on the same route.
NRC’s Recent Technical Setback
On Wednesday evening, August 20, the NRC reported that one of the wheels on a coach developed a hot axle a few kilometres from Rigasa Station in Kaduna.
According to a statement signed by NRC’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Callistus Unyimadu, the fault was triggered by abnormal temperature and excessive heat on the journal housing.
He explained that engineers quickly brought the situation under control and safely marshalled the train to Kaduna.
Unyimadu apologised to passengers for the disruption, noting that the incident would cause temporary capacity challenges, especially for business class travellers. Operations, however, later resumed.
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