NRC cancels Abuja-Kaduna service after ‘bomb attack’ on train

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has cancelled its service on the Abuja-Kaduna rail line after an attack on the train.

The train was reportedly attacked with explosives by gunmen on two different occasions — Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

In a message to passengers on its booking website, the NRC said it is suspending the service for the safety of travellers.

The corporation said it is working to restore the service, and will inform the public when the train starts running again.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, train services have been immediately suspended for the safety of our dear passengers,” information on the website read.

“Efforts are in place to restore service. Further information would follow immediately, the service is restored.”

The windshield of the train was shattered and a portion of the track was blown away in the attack.

VIDEO: Bandits on Wednesday attacked the Kaduna-Abuja train by planting an explosive along the rail track. Explosive shattered the windshield of the train engine. pic.twitter.com/P6oPkKG8W9

— Eons Intelligence (@eonsintelligenc) October 21, 2021

Speaking of the attack on Thursday, Shehu Sani, former senator representing Kaduna central, in a tweet said it “took a miracle” for him and other passengers on the train to escape.

“Yesterday, terrorists attacked the Kaduna Abuja railway with an explosive & opened fire on the train, targeting the Engine Driver and the Tank,” he tweeted.

“This morning, I was on board when our train ran over another explosive [and it] damaged [the] rail. It took a miracle for us to escape.”