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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)

BIG STORY

FULL LIST: Tinubu Appoints IBB’s Son, Muhammad Babangida Chairman Bank Of Agriculture, Others As Heads Of Govt Agencies

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Muhammad Babangida, the son of the former military President, as chairman of the revamped Bank of Agriculture.

President Tinubu approved the appointment today, along with seven others. Some of them will serve as chairmen or directors-general of Federal agencies.

Muhammad Babangida, 53, is an alumnus of the European University in Montreux, Switzerland, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Public Relations and Business Communication. He later attended Harvard Business School’s Executive Program on Corporate Governance in 2002.

Others appointed by the President are:

Lydia Kalat Musa (Kaduna State) Chairman, Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA).

Jamilu Wada Aliyu (Kano State) Chairman, National Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC).

The Hon. Yahuza Ado Inuwa (Kano State) is the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) chairman.

Sanusi Musa (SAN, Kano State) is the Chairman of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution(IPCR).

Prof. Al-Mustapha Alhaji Aliyu (Sokoto State) is the Director-General of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA).

Sanusi Garba Rikiji (Zamfara State) is the Director-General of the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations (NOTN).

Mrs Tomi Somefun (Oyo State) is the Managing Director of the National Hydro-Electric Power Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC).

Dr Abdulmumini Mohammed Aminu-Zaria (Kaduna State) has been appointed Executive Director of the Nigerian Integrated Water Resources Management Commission (NIWRMC).

 

Bayo Onanuga

Special Adviser to the President

(Information & Strategy)

July 18, 2025

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BIG STORY

Buhari Never Wanted To Congratulate Saraki, Dogara After Emerging Senate President, Speaker — Femi Adesina

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Femi Adesina, who served as Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, revealed that Buhari was initially unwilling to congratulate Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara after they controversially became Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2015.

Adesina shared this in a tribute to Buhari, reflecting on his early experience as the president’s media aide and the difficulty of balancing loyalty with professional duty.

He explained that the incident happened just nine days after he took up the role of presidential spokesman.

According to Adesina, Saraki and Dogara emerged as leaders of the National Assembly against the preference of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Although their emergence was viewed as defiant, it still adhered to constitutional norms.

“I told the President we needed to congratulate them. He balked. But I stood my ground. He said no, I also said no. I said it would portray him as undemocratic,” Adesina wrote.

He noted that Buhari later agreed to issue the statement, making only a small addition to the final version.

“At the end of the day, he reasoned with me and the statement was written, with him just adding one word,” he stated.

“Keeping to his word is part of the famed integrity. Argue with me. If you have a better point, I’ll agree with you.”

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BIG STORY

Road To 2027: Everyone Afraid Of Atiku — Dele Momodu Claims As He Joins ADC

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Dele Momodu, the publisher of Ovation International, has said that “everyone is afraid” of former vice-president Atiku Abubakar.

He made this remark while giving reasons for leaving the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to join the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

Momodu also confirmed that he would be backing Atiku in the 2027 presidential election.

During an appearance on Channels TV on Thursday, Momodu stated that his endorsement of Atiku stems from a strategic understanding of Nigeria’s political dynamics.

He said: “Everybody is afraid of Atiku, and that is exactly why I, Dele Momodu, support him.

“The fear the ruling party has for him shows he remains the most formidable opposition figure today.

“When everyone is trying to discredit or silence a man, it means he’s the one they truly fear.”

Momodu previously ran for president in 2011 and took part in the PDP presidential primaries in 2022.

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