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By Tracy Moses
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has revised its earlier report on last Tuesday’s Abuja–Kaduna train derailment, admitting that 20 passengers, not seven as initially stated, sustained injuries.
The accident, which occurred between Kubwa and Asham stations, involved two locomotives and eight coaches. On board were 618 individuals, comprising 583 passengers, 15 NRC crew members, a medical officer, eight cleaners, and 11 catering staff.
In a statement on Wednesday, the NRC’s Managing Director, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, confirmed that all passengers had been safely evacuated but disclosed that nine of the 20 injured remain in critical condition.
“Following a thorough passenger tracing exercise by our medical team, we can now confirm that 20 persons sustained varying degrees of injury. Sadly, nine of them are in critical condition. We deeply regret the earlier miscommunication and take full responsibility,” Opeifa said.
The new casualty figure, released seven days after the derailment, has raised concerns about the accuracy and timeliness of the Corporation’s earlier updates.
According to Opeifa, recovery operations are ongoing.
“As of September 2, our engineers successfully retrieved one locomotive and four coaches, which have been moved to Idu Station for assessment. This was achieved using a newly constructed 100-meter bypass track. Efforts are now underway to recover the remaining locomotive and four coaches still at the site,” he explained.
He further revealed that the NRC had established an Incident Desk to support affected passengers and their families.
“So far, we have contacted 510 of the 583 passengers listed on the manifest. Dedicated phone lines are available to provide information, and our teams are working round-the-clock to reach every passenger,” he added.
A passenger, Mrs. Halima Yusuf, who sustained minor injuries, praised the swift evacuation but urged the NRC to improve its communication.
“We were frightened, but the security agencies acted quickly, and that helped. What worried us was the confusion about the numbers. Passengers deserve clearer and faster updates,” she said.
Another passenger, Mr. Daniel Agada, who fractured his arm during the incident, called for stronger safety checks.
“The NRC must ensure this doesn’t happen again. It’s not enough to fix the train; we want to see real safety measures to protect lives,” he said.
Opeifa, in his remarks, expressed appreciation to the Minister of Transportation, Senator Saidu Ahmed Alkali, who visited the scene of the incident, as well as security agencies for their timely intervention.
He also commended the media for what he described as “accurate and responsible coverage.”
“We thank Nigerians for their patience and understanding at this difficult time. Passenger safety and service reliability remain our highest priorities, and we are committed to restoring full operations in the shortest possible time,” Opeifa assured.
Despite the setback, the NRC says it is determined to restore confidence in its services through stricter safety protocols and improved crisis response.