NRC noted that a group of unidentified persons gathered along the rail track around kilometre 177 on the Abuja–Kaduna line and hurled stones at a passing train, damaging the windscreen of the lead locomotive.
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has raised fresh concerns over escalating attacks on its rail corridor after suspected villagers pelted a moving train with stones along the Abuja–Kaduna route, warning that such occurrences could result in service disruptions.
This was disclosed recently in a statement issued by the corporation’s spokesman, Callistus Unyimadu.
According to the NRC, a group of unidentified persons gathered along the rail track around kilometre 177 on the Abuja–Kaduna line and hurled stones at a passing train, damaging the windscreen of the lead locomotive.
Unyimadu added that the development is alarming, noting that approximately six similar incidents have been recorded in recent times, including one at Gidan Busa/Sarki Gora Village, in the Kakau District of the Chikun Local Government Area, Kaduna State.
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The statement read: “About six attacks have been documented along the corridor within this period, posing significant threats to passenger safety, railway personnel, and critical infrastructure.”
He further explained that these repeated acts are not only dangerous but amount to economic sabotage, capable of disrupting national transportation and undermining government investments in the railway sector.
The NRC noted that despite these developments, train services have continued under heightened safety measures, with railway staff maintaining strict vigilance to ensure passengers reach their destinations safely.
The corporation also noted that efforts are ongoing in collaboration with security operatives, community leaders, and other stakeholders to strengthen surveillance, identify those responsible, and bring perpetrators to justice with a view to ending the attacks.
It urged communities residing along railway lines to support the protection of railway infrastructure by reporting suspicious activities to the authorities and discouraging criminal actions, stating that urgent collective action is required to forestall a potential service failure.
