By; MATTHEW UKACHUNWA, Lagos & ALEX UANGBAOJE, Kaduna
Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced that Abuja-Kaduna passenger train services will no longer resume on 23rd May 2022.
NRC said that a new date will be announced in due course.
Families of kidnapped victims had kicked against the scheduled resumption of the train services on Thursday over government inability to secure the release of their loved ones.
They accused NRC of being insensitive to the plight of their family members who are suffering in the hands of their abductor, adding “our relatives kidnapped are still in captivity and we want them to be freed first before they can start thinking of that,” spokesperson of the group.
“We want the NRC management and the Ministry of Transportation to put adequate security measures in place to guarantee the safety of passengers before train services can resume. These are the minimum conditions we require from them.” Abdulfatai Jimoh, said.
The railway company made the announcement in “Press Release No. 11 19th May 2022” which was made available to New Nigerian on Friday the 20th of May.
The railway corporation apologized for the delays in the resumption of operations along Abuja-Kaduna Train axis since the terrorists attack happened.
“The NRC will continue to cooperate and collaborate with the Federal Government in its uncompromising mandate of protecting the territorial integrity and the internal security of Nigeria for safeguarding the lives and properties of its citizens especially as it concerns the rail sub-sector,” NRC’s Deputy Director, Public Relations, Yakub Mahmood, wrote in the news statement which he signed on behalf of the managing director.
The railway company said that it identifies with the relatives of those in captivity on the account of the recent attack on AKTS.
It assured that the federal government is not relenting on its responsibility for the safe rescue of all persons that have been held hostage.
NRC said, “We therefore appeal, particularly to the relatives of persons held hostage to be patient and cooperate with the corporation and the security agencies as the Federal Government is exploring all possible ways and means to ensure the safe release of their loved ones from captivity, soonest.”
Nigerian Railway Corporation had on Monday informed Nigerians that the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) had directed that Abuja-Kaduna passenger train services would resume on 23rd May 2022.
Train operations along Abuja-Kaduna railway were stopped when AK9 train was attacked by terrorists on 28th March 2022, causing human deaths, abduction of passengers and damage to locomotive.
