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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Managing Director (MD), Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Fidet Okhiria, has disclosed that four workers of the corporation are still in captivity of the terrorists, six months after the attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.
Okhiria, who spoke at a quarterly press briefing of the corporation in Lagos, listed the staff as the loco driver, the train lightning technician and two others.
He added that some persons working on the train on third-party arrangements were also still being held.
The NRC MD, however, assured that the Federal Government was doing everything possible to ensure their safe release.
“The Minister of Transportation is leading the struggle for the safe release of those still in captivity. We could not go with force to ensure no one loses his or her life,” Okhiria noted.
He also disclosed that NRC had not commenced operations on the Abuja-Kaduna route because the corporation believed that proper security arrangements should be put in place.
“We believe proper security measures should be put in place. The government has set up a committee to ensure maximum security for both train passengers and facilities during operations,” he added.
The MD said there was no insurance cover for passengers on its train services across the country.
“Although the corporation had an insurance policy for both rolling stock and train passengers, it did not cover banditry and terrorism,” he said.
He also disclosed that the suspension of the Abuja-Kaduna train service in the last five months had cost the corporation N531 million in revenue loss.