The Kogi State Commissioner of Police (CP), Akeem Yusuf, said all the passengers of the Warri-Itakpe train that derailed in Kogi forest have been safely evacuated.
Yusuf made this known in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja, the state capital, on Sunday.
The ill-fated train reportedly plying the Warri-Itakpe route, unfortunately, derailed in the Kogi forest between Ajaokuta and Itakpe towns, forcing the passengers to be stranded.
It was said to had left Warri early morning of Sunday but got derailed at around 12 p.m inside the forest, a situation which reportedly instilled fear in the passengers.
“When we got the distress call, I immediately dispatch a team of the rescue team that rushed to the forest to give them cover.
“We didn’t take the report with laxity but ensured that the passengers and the train crew got the desired security cover.
“Our plans were to ensure no criminal element take advantage of the situation to do anything funny and God helping us nothing funny happened.
“I can boldly tell you that all the passengers have been evacuated to safety without any cause for alarm,” the CP said.
Yusuf said that what was left at the scene was the wagons of the train, but all the passengers were made to proceed with their journey without any hindrance.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has suspended the Warri-Itakpe train service indefinitely due to the derailment in Kogi state on Sunday.
One hundred and forty eight passengers and 30 crew members on board were stranded for some hours owing to the incident.
This incident is coming barely two weeks after some passengers were abducted from a train station in Igueben, Edo State,
Confirming the incident, the Coordinator of Warri Itakpe Train Service, Sanni Abdulganiyu in a statement stated: “The Warri Itakpe Train Service WITS 01 derailed at km 30 Ajaokuta-Itakpe section of the track at About 12:30hrs of Sunday 22nd January 2023.
The police boss commended his officers and men that successfully conducted the rescue operations alongside other security operatives in the state.
