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[UPDATE] Abuja-Kaduna Train Attack: 5 More Passengers Confirmed Killed, 41 Hospitalised

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The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, says about eight persons have so far been confirmed dead and 41 hospitalized in the recent attack on the Kaduna bound train.
 
This is five more casualties than the three reported by News Express on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Amaechi, who disclosed while inspecting the scene of the attack, described the situation as devastating.
 
”We don’t have all the figures of missing persons, kidnapped, and those injured at the moment.
 
”The numbers we have is that there are eight casualties. There are about 41 persons in different hospitals and the total number of passengers who got tickets are 398.
 
”So, we have had to wait on the security, the Kaduna State government, and the Nigerian Railway Corporation. They are all trying to make contact with those on the manifest.
 
”There are few persons who are not on the manifest like the staff of the NRC, staff of the cleaning contractor, they are not on the manifest and we may not be able to completely account for them but those on the manifest, calls are being made to reach them,” Amaechi said.
 
On the security sensors, the minister said its installation was delayed because of the rigorous procurement process.
 
”The process is tedious, the approval is also tedious, we have not been able to get that approval that will lead to the purchase of those items.
 
”If those items were here, drones alone will tell you that there are people around the rail tracks because there are drones, there are equipment that picks sensors if you touch the track.
 
”But unfortunately the process has not been able to get us that approval for us to import those items.
 
”So for me, I am devastated and I honestly don’t know what to tell Nigerians anymore.”
 
The Minister said it was not enough to have cameras inside the train, adding that a high-tech camera that would detect objects from afar was necessary.
 
”The cameras in the train cannot pick what is happening outside. What you need is a camera that shows 100 meters away from the train, that there are unknown persons carrying guns.
 
”Then, we can take precaution, but we have done all we need to do in the ministry of transport and we have forwarded to them for approval but we have not gotten approval.
 
”The patrol vehicles are available but they cannot reach everywhere. For the areas they patrol can patrol, it will forestall.
 
”We are thinking about the possibility of employing natives until we get that equipment. We also need helicopters, beyond the drones, we need helicopters,” Amaechi added.
 
The minister, who stated that the NRC may suspend the evening train, however, noted that stopping was not the solution but providing appropriate technology that would ensure security.
 
”The solution is not in running away from the militants or the bandits. The solution is providing the technology that lets you know that they are around.
 
”If it lets you know that they are around, there are two actions to take; either for the security men to go after them or you don’t ply within that period.
 
”But the agencies that need to give us approval have to give us the approval because we need to purchase those items.
 
”No matter the cost, you cannot equate it with the eight lives that were lost. The equipment was just N3billion and we are about to place an order for the one in Lagos but we need to know what is happening on the track, it is everywhere in the world,” he said.
 
On the perimeter fencing, Amaechi said some areas that have it were being demolished and it was not high enough to protect one from criminals, except for cows.
 
The minister reiterated the importance of getting approval to purchase the necessary equipment as human lives were involved.
 
”I had warned earlier that it is important they get us this approval because human lives would be involved. Since that warning till today, we have had two incidents.
 
”What kind of due process is that? When I say due process, it does not necessarily mean BPP but whatever agency it is, they need to get us approval so that we can get out of the cabinet.
 
”Even if they get us approval, it will take some months to acquire them from overseas to install them. We need to do that to enable us to see from Kaduna-Abuja, Itakpe-Warri, and Lagos-Ibadan. what is going on?

”So that we don’t continue to lose lives because lives are important. If we don’t do that, more people will die.
 
”The cost was about N3billion and the damage here is more than N3billion. So, if we had gotten the approval, we would have saved the N3billion and saved lives,” Amaechi reiterated.
 
The Chairman, of NRC, Ibrahim Alhassan, said the attack was anticipated and measures were taken to avoid it.
 
Alhassan said:” Two months back, we got information that some people were carrying out cognizance of the tracks.
 
”And the information was passed to the relevant authorities and I think some things were done and nothing happened.”
 
He said it was unfortunate that the attack occurred, adding that the NRC was doing all that was necessary to abate such reoccurrence.
 
”We would like to thank Nigerians, our passengers, and people who patronize us, their families, we would like to offer our condolences, our concern, and sympathies, we hope with God Almighty, this thing never repeats itself.
 
”We are going to, on our part, take some measures. To do our own scheduling thing like that and I believe the government and security agencies will come to our assistance with more help and assistance. I believe we are going to overcome this.
 
”It is not going to deter us, honestly, we are not going to give up because of this.
 
”The only thing we want is the cooperation of everybody, especially people living along the corridor, when they see any suspicious activity, they should report such.
 
”I believe people should help us to help all of us,” Alhassan said.
 
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that during the minister’s inspection, the Gidan train station and the community around were attacked by bandits.
 
The train with the minister and his entourage heading to Abuja from the visit to the scene of Monday’s attack was made to stop for some minutes before proceeding on the trip.
 
Security personnel was, however, seen around the area after the staff of NRC was said to have fled the scene.
 
This is the second attack within 24 hours along the same axis.

(NAN)

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US Court Sends British-Nigerian To Seven Years In Jail Over $5m Cyber Fraud

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Oludayo Adeagbo, a British-Nigerian, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar business email compromise (BEC) scheme.

According to the US Department of Justice, Adeagbo, who also goes by John Edwards and John Dayo, conspired with others to steal over $3 million from various entities in Texas, including local government bodies, construction companies, and a Houston-area college.

Adeagbo and his co-conspirators also defrauded a North Carolina university of more than $1.9 million.

The case began in August 2022 when Adeagbo and two other Nigerian citizens, Donald Echeazu, 42, and Olabanji Egbinola, 44, were extradited from the United Kingdom (UK), where they had been residing, to face charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering.

The US Department of Justice stated that the offences were committed in North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.

On April 8, Adeagbo pleaded guilty in two cases against him in North Carolina and Texas for participating in a business email compromise scheme, which is also referred to as a “cyber-enabled financial fraud” scheme.

A business email compromise scheme can be initiated by scammers creating fake accounts that mimic companies a business regularly deals with.

Court records revealed that Adeagbo and his co-conspirators gathered information about significant construction projects across the United States, including a multi-million-dollar project at a university in North Carolina.

“To execute the scheme, Adeagbo, Echeazu, and others registered a domain name similar to that of the legitimate construction company in charge of the university’s project and created an email address that closely resembled that of an employee of the construction company,” the Department of Justice said.

“Using the fake email address, the fraudsters deceived and directed the university to wire a payment of more than $1.9 million to a bank account controlled by an individual working under the direction of Adeagbo and his co-conspirators.”

Adeagbo and his co-conspirators employed the same tactics in Texas, targeting local government entities and universities by impersonating construction companies. They stole over $3 million from the scheme, bringing their total haul to $5 million.

Adeagbo has been ordered to pay $942,655.03 in restitution and will serve seven years in prison.

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Nigerian-American Oye Owolewa Re-Elected To US Congress

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Oye Owolewa, a Nigerian-American Democrat, has been re-elected as the shadow representative for the District of Columbia (DC).

Owolewa, a PhD graduate from Northeastern University in Boston, made history in November 2020 when he became the first Nigerian-American elected to Congress.

He secured 164,026 votes, or 82.84 percent of the total votes cast in DC.

His role, while not officially recognized by the US government as a full member of Congress, is to advocate for the district’s interests, particularly its bid for statehood.

On Thursday, Owolewa expressed his gratitude to DC voters via a post on X, thanking them for their continued support.

“Thank you DC again for giving me chance to serve. I also want to thank the organizations that have supported, partnered with and endorsed me,” he wrote.

While shadow representatives like Owolewa do not have voting power in the US House of Representatives, they play a key role in pushing for recognition and state-level advocacy for DC residents, who are otherwise disenfranchised at the federal level.

Owolewa has consistently championed the cause of DC statehood, which has become a central focus of his work.

The re-election took place on November 5, the same day as the US presidential election.

In that election, former President Donald Trump defeated Vice-President Kamala Harris, securing over 270 electoral votes to win a second term.

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Joe Biden Urges Americans To Accept Trump’s Victory, Promises Peaceful Transition

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United States President Joe Biden has urged Americans to accept the victory of Republican Party candidate Donald Trump in the presidential election.

On November 6, Trump won the presidential election after surpassing the magic number of 270 electoral college votes.

Trump defeated Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party, who received 219 electoral college votes.

Harris has congratulated Trump on his electoral victory.

During a speech on Thursday at the White House Rose Garden, Biden said, “We accept the choice the country made.”

“I know for some people, it’s time for victory to state the obvious. For others, it’s a time of loss,” the US president said.

“Campaigns are contests of competing visions. The country chooses one or the other.

“I’ve said many times, you can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbour only when you agree.

“I will do my duty as president. I’ll fulfil my oath and honour the Constitution. On January 20, we will have a peaceful transfer of power here in America.

“Remember, defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dream is calling for you to get back up.

“The America experiment endures. We are going to be okay, but we need to stay engaged. We need to keep going. Above all, we need to keep the faith.”

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