The Federal Government has ordered the reinstatement of the Abuja-Kaduna Train services by Monday, May 23, 2022, amidst the ongoing negotiations over the abducted passengers.
The Nigeria Railway Corporation’s spokesman, Yakub Mahmod revealed this decision in a press statement on Monday.
Recall that Investors King reported the abduction of hundreds of passengers by bandits traveling to Kaduna via the Abuja-Kaduna Train services two months ago.
Investors King gathered that the train left Abuja for Kaduna at about 6 p.m. and was attacked between Katari and Rijana. The Kaduna State Government went ahead to confirm the attack while also revealing that attempts to repel the attack were carried out successfully.
Investors King further gathered that while the attack was ongoing, many passengers on board took to various social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to report the attack while also soliciting support in form of prayers.
The Federal Government has since then, been negotiating means to recover the abducted while preferring solutions for safety. However, the negotiations have not been fruitful.
“The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Transportation has directed the resumption of the Abuja-Kaduna Train Services”, the recent press statement raed.
It added: “The passenger train service between Abuja-Kaduna is to commence on Monday, May 23, 2022.”
In a bid to update family and friends about the abducted persons, the statement explained that collaborative attempts to obtain the safe release of the terrorists’ kidnapped passengers are being kept out of the public eye for strategic security reasons.
The administration also told the relatives of the abducted passengers still in captivity that the passengers’ safe rescue was a major priority, and that the resumption of train services should not be interpreted as desertion or a callous attitude toward their predicament by the government.
Additional security measures are being established at both railway stations and the track to safeguard the safety of people on board, according to the NRC’s Board and management.
The passengers were asked to work with the NRC to achieve better service delivery, safety, and comfort by following the NRC’s additional steps.