No one has claimed responsibility yet for the explosion on the Abuja-Kaduna passenger train, which killed at least eight people and wounded 29 others.
An unknown number of stranded passengers were kidnapped after the bombing and derailing, which occurred on Monday, March 28. Police, troops and other security officials were searching not only for the missing passengers – and possibly more dead people – but also the attackers.
The Nigerian Railways Corporation (NRC) announced on Tuesday that it was suspending operations on the route until further notice.
The NRC passenger manifest noted that 398 passengers bought tickets for the trip, but 362 were validated at the turnstile as having boarded the train. The passenger manifest did not include NRC staff, cleaning contractors and security officials, who were on board.
The NRC said security had been increased, as a precautionary measure, at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna, where the critically wounded had been taken for urgent medical attention.
Some of the wounded were taken to St Gerald Catholic Hospital, also in Kaduna.
Apart from derailing the train, the attackers also shot at passengers.
Lieutenant-General Faruk Yahaya, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), told journalists that no effort would be spared in tracking and rescuing all the victims.
Abdulaziz Mala, a resident of Kaduna, told RNI reporter Aisha Jamal that the explosives had been placed along the track between Rijana and Katari, causing the train to derail less than 60km from Kaduna.
He described the unknown gunmen as bandits, adding that the road had been attacked several times in the recent past.
He claimed more than 900 passengers were on board, even though the train’s manifest noted there had been 362 people on the train.
“Immediately after the bomb exploded, the train derailed. People were killed and wounded. The bandits hijacked the train, shooting at some of the passengers, and kidnapping an unknown number of people as they were trying to escape. Troops and officials arrived to rescue the victims,” Mala said.
Mala blamed the increased insurgency in Kaduna State on poverty. “Many of these bandits have different reasons for their violent actions; some shun the government and others are trained to cause havoc in the area. And, unfortunately, some jobless youths are lured by the bandits, who offer them money as long as they support and join in the attacks.”
He believed the government should do more to address the issue of poverty in the country. He also warned fellow citizens to be more careful and to pay more attention to every person with whom he or she interacted.
A traveller, who wanted to remain anonymous, told RNI: “The news of the attack has been worrisome to me, but there is nothing I can do. I have to use the road because I cannot afford an airline ticket. I just pray and wish this insecurity would end. All the recent attacks make me feel scared to undertake more travel. But I have to.”
Also on Monday, bandits blocked the Abuja-Kaduna highway, kidnapping some travellers, who were taken into the bushes to an unknown place.
A witness, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the bandits had “dangerous weapons”.
“We saw them when they were taking dozens of travellers into the forest. But we were helpless as we were not armed. We could not confront them,” he said.
The train explosion happened just three days after bandits attacked the Kaduna International Airport on Friday, March 25. A security guard belonging to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) was killed in the attack.
According to officials, more than 100 heavily armed bandits attacked the airport. They kidnapped at least 12 people.
A combined detachment of military and other security agencies were deployed to the airport to confront the gunmen. Military personnel managed to repel the attack, chasing away the bandits and seizing some of their motorcycles.
President Muhammadu Buhari ordered service chiefs to deal ruthlessly with “terrorists”, adding that they should be more decisive and not spare anyone unlawfully wielding an AK-47 weapon.
Garba Shehu, Buhari’s senior special assistant on media and publicity, said in a statement on Tuesday that the president had directed the management of the NRC to speedily repair the damaged lines and resume normal service without delay.
Buhari strongly condemned the bombing of the passenger train, Shehu said, describing it as a “matter of grave concern”.
“Like most Nigerians, I am deeply pained by its occurrence, the second of its type, which has resulted in the death of a yet to be a determined number of passengers and others who suffered injuries,” Buhari said in the statement.
AISHA JAMAL
