A mechanical failure caused panic on the Abuja–Kaduna rail line on Monday as two train cars detached and collided near Jere station, leaving several travellers injured and scores stranded.
Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Managing Director Kayode Opeifa broke down the details of the accident during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday. According to Opeifa, the collision was triggered by an engine failure. “At about 9:16 am, there was a detachment of the attached engine, and it hit the power car—the one supplying electricity to the train—and that hit the passenger coach SP-006 attached to it. That caused a shutdown,” he stated.
The NRC chief noted that the train was operating with only one engine. “Our protocol requires two engines, so we had to move the back engine to go and station ahead of the train for its movement to Abuja,” he said.
“When the train got to Ojere, the back of the engine was attached, and the train continued its movement towards Asham on its way to Idu,” he explained.
While 26 people were injured in the incident, the train was able to resume its journey just 30 minutes later
“The 30 minutes were meant to remove the accidented train engine, that is the locomotive, and passengers were moved into the other five coaches at Kubwa, which was the next stop,” Opeifa stated.
Recounting the ordeal, social media user Sada Malumfashi, who was on board the train, said the incident occurred shortly after departing the Jere station. Malumfashi described hearing a loud bang before the train suddenly jolted to a halt.
“We heard a loud bang and the train jolted to a stop, flinging people across. Passengers got hit, and most are bleeding and severely injured,” the passenger recounted.
According to Malumfashi, the train remained stationary for about 30 minutes before resuming its journey toward Kubwa. The passenger also criticized the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) for failing to communicate immediately about the incident.
