Following the attack and abduction of passengers at the train station in Edo, the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced the shutdown of operations at its Ekehen station in the state.
On Saturday, suspected herdsmen attacked the train station in the Igueben area of the state, kidnapping scores of passengers waiting to board.
Chidi Nwabuzor, the spokesperson for the Edo police command confirmed the attack in a statement obtained by Peoples Gazette.
Mr Nwabuzor said the gunmen were armed with AK-47 rifles, noting that the exact number of persons (train passengers) kidnapped could not be ascertained as details were still sketchy.
“This is to inform the gentlemen of the press that today, 7th of January, 2023 at about 1600hrs, an unspecified number of herdsmen armed with AK 47 riffles attacked the train station at Igueben, Edo State and kidnapped an unspecified number of passengers who were waiting to board the train to Warri,” his statement read.
Detailing further in the statement, Mr Nwabuzor said the abductors who shot into the air to scare the passengers also shot at many others who were trying to escape from the attack.
He assured that the security operatives were on the trail of the abductors with an aim to rescue those the kidnap victims herded into the bush.
“Bush combing operations have commenced in order to rescue the victims and arrest the fleeing kidnappers. Further developments will be communicated,” the police spokesman added.
However, the NRC in a short message on Sunday, said the decision to close down the trail operation in Edo became necessary due to rising security threats and challenges in the state.
It added that the closure was “till further notice.”
The statement reads, “Public Announcement: This is to inform our general public and most especially our esteemed passengers, that Ekehen Station has been temporarily closed due to security issues, till further notice.
“Due to the incident at Ekehen station on Saturday, WITS 01/ 02 will no longer stop at Ekehen Station. Please advise our customers,” it read.
The latest train attack in Edo occurred after several months that armed terrorists attacked a Kaduna-bound train from Abuja using explosives.
The Kaduna-bound train derailed after the explosives believed to be planted on the rail track went off close to Rigasa area of the state.
The Abuja-Kaduna train attack, which occurred on March 28, 2022, resulted in the death of about 14 passengers, and while 63 others were officially declared abducted.
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