Kasim Sumaina in Abuja
The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), has assured its teeming passengers that travel on the Abuja-Kaduna-Abuja train services of uncompromised safety while onboard the trains and at the rail stations.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Deputy Director, Public Relations Mr. Yakub Mahmood, the Deputy Director, Public Relations, NRC obtained by THISDAY in Abuja.
He said that “it has become expedient to allay the fears of the teeming passengers as being experienced especially by travellers on the roads and highways in the zone.”
Mahmood noted that, “NRC management in order to allay the unfounded fears of our esteemed passengers after the reported incidence of miscreants along Abuja-kaduna railway corridor engaged in an unwholesome act of stoning our passengers trains, as against the unsubstantiated and purported media report of attack by gun men.”
While this does not constitute security threat to the operation of the train service on the Abuja-Kaduna-Abuja route, he hinted that “it is a deliberate attempt on unpatriotic individuals to damage federal government asset and property which is provided to alleviate the transportation problems being faced by Nigerians across the country, besides being a source of employment to the people residing in the environment.”
Mahmood stressed that NRC is being proactive by taking measures through the deployment of additional security equipment and personals to checkmate the unwholesome, uncivilised and unpatriotic tendencies.
“To this end, NRC management is appealing to the youths, parents, guardians and especially the traditional rulers along Abuja-Kaduna railway corridor to assist in enlightening their subjects to desist from stoning moving train in their domain, as the train operations and services greatly facilitate the socio-economic development of their areas and the country at large.
“Anybody apprehended disrupting train movement or in anyway, endangering the safety of our passengers will be prosecuted according to the law of the land”, he stressed.
