29th March, 2022
Family members of passengers aboard the Kaduna-bound train attacked on Monday are in shock and fear that they may have lost their loved ones.
Some of the families who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria said they are yet to know the fate of their relatives.
They spoke to NAN after they trooped to the Rigasa Railway station in Kaduna on Tuesday.
The families said they were yet to establish contact, 14 hours after the tragic incident.
They, therefore, appealed to the state government to come to their aid to relieve them of the apprehension they were passing through.
Mr. Mohammed Barau, a resident of the Ungwan Rimi area of Kaduna, said he was at the train station to have an update regarding the incident, adding that his younger brother was in the train attacked.
“We called his line several times without response until later his friend seated with him on the train picked and told us that my brother left his phone on the seat and that he did not know his where-about.
“When we later tried to call again, the phone was switched off, and when we called the friend, he was not picking up,” Barau said.
He then urged the government to come up with a comprehensive list that would give the public a sense of relief.
“By now, the government should have released a comprehensive list of people killed, those injured, as well as the number of people evacuated.
“At least, when this is done, it would give us some peace of mind, but we have not heard anything yet,” he complained.
Also, Miss Lami Gombo, a resident of Kudenden, in Kaduna, said she was yet to hear from her brother, who was on board the train.
“His telephone lines are switched off; we have been to the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, but did not see him there.
“The development is worrisome; the entire family is confused as to whether our brother is still alive, dead, or had been kidnaped,” she said.
A staff of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, who was also on the ill-fated train, told NAN that some of the passengers had fled into the bush for safety when the incident occurred.
“Nobody can ascertain whether passengers were kidnaped or not, but the pandemonium must have caused a lot of people to run into the bush to safeguard their lives,” said the staff, who did not want his name mentioned.
The Kaduna-bound train, which left Abuja at 6 pm on Monday, was attacked by suspected terrorists around 7.45 pm, with just 15 minutes drive left for it to arrive in Kaduna.
Kaduna State Commissioner for Home Affairs and Internal Security, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, on Tuesday, said the train had been secured by military personnel, and that government had evacuated passengers on board the train.
He said the staff of Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (KADSEMA) and Nigeria Red Cross, Kaduna chapter, conducted the evacuation.
When contacted by NAN for details of the casualty figure, an official of KADSEMA who did not want his name mentioned, said they were still working on the details.
Meanwhile, train service including other business activities at the Rigasa Railway station, Kaduna, had been grounded as a result of the incident.