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By Oscar Okhifo
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr. Kayode Opeifa, has attributed the August 26 derailment of an Abuja–Kaduna passenger train to human error, citing excessive speed and improper handling of safety procedures as major causes.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s ‘Morning Brief’ on Monday, Opeifa said preliminary investigations revealed that the train operator exceeded the prescribed speed limit while passing through a manually operated switch point, resulting in what he described as “bursting the point.”
“The derailment was largely due to human error,” he said.
“The train went through a switch point at a speed above the prescribed limit, which resulted in the incident. There was also an issue with how the emergency brakes were applied.”
He, however, declined to disclose the exact speed limit for the section of the track where the incident occurred, saying: “I wouldn’t want to go into that.”
The NRC boss noted that the corporation’s internal investigation identified operational lapses but stressed that the final report would come from the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and the Federal Ministry of Transportation’s investigative panel.
Opeifa also revealed that public pressure mounted on the agency to resume operations immediately after the crash. “People started calling the NRC the next day, asking us to bring back the service,” he said. “But we couldn’t rush it. Passenger safety comes first.”
According to him, six passengers sustained minor injuries and have since been treated. However, the corporation is still working to determine the exact number of passengers on board at the time of the derailment.
He added that the NRC had commenced refunding tickets to affected passengers and had reinforced safety protocols ahead of resuming services on the corridor.
“The Abuja–Kaduna route is safe. We have reviewed our operating procedures, retrained our staff, and inspected every section of the track,” he assured, emphasizing that the corporation is working closely with the NSIB to uncover both the immediate and underlying causes of the accident.
Meanwhile, a passenger who was on board during the incident described the scene as “chaotic,” recalling how people scrambled for safety amid confusion and fear.
The Abuja–Kaduna train service, which was suspended for several weeks following the incident, resumed operations on October 1. Dr. Opeifa joined the inaugural ride to demonstrate confidence in the line’s safety.