‘It was avoidable’ – NRC MD, Opeifa speaks on Abuja-Kaduna train accident

The Managing Director/CEO of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, Dr Kayode Opeifa, has described the Abuja-Kaduna train accident as an avoidable incident.

Opeifa said this on Monday while addressing newsmen shortly after the incident, adding that they recorded 22 injuries.

DAILY POST had reported that several passengers were confirmed injured as an Abuja en-route Kaduna train on Monday derailed after a collision.

Reacting, Opeifa said: “It was an avoidable accident, and we have recorded 22 injuries. I personally took the train after the accident to assure Nigerians that we are taking responsibility and safety is our priority. There was no derailment or fatalities.

“We want to thank God for life. We want to thank God that it wasn’t worse than it is. It is a single train accident, not as if two trains collided.

“We adopted the airline methodology, that for every train, there will be two engines instead of one, so that if there is an incident, the second engine will move the train.

In this case, we took off from this morning, and we discovered that something happened to one of the engines overnight, and we decided not to go with that.

“Somewhere along the line, at Asham, there was a collision from that back engine, which was not the one driving the train, it’s in the power car, the one that supplies electricity, and that will hit the last passenger coach.”