Few days after some passengers were abducted from a train station in Igueben, Edo State, another rain plying the Warri-Itakpe route is reported to have derailed, leaving many of the passengers stranded.
According to sources in the train, the incident happened inside a Kogi forest, and many of the passengers were said to have abandoned the train for fear of being taken hostage. It was learnt that the train, which left Warri early yesterday derailed at about 12:noon inside the thick forest between Ajaokuta and Itakpe.
A former Chairman of the Bayelsa Vigilante Agency, Prince Douye Koroye, who was in VIP section of the train alleged that it might be a case of suspected terrorists cutting the rail line, a situation that may have culminated in the train derailing because it was at a high speed.
The source, who is also former Special Adviser to the Bayelsa State Government on Youth and Community Development, revealed that four coaches and the head coach of the train were badly damaged in the incident. He said the stranded passengers were told by the officials of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) to remain calm while they mobilise for help.
Koroye also revealed that many passengers as at the time of filing this report are still stranded in the bush and are being protected by the security team attached to the train.
