The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has suspended indefinitely the planned resumption of service on the Abuja-Kaduna train.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Spokesman of the corporation, Mr. Mahmud Yakub, on Friday, May 20, 2022.
The NRC had earlier fixed Monday, 23rd May, for the resumption of the train service since the shutdown caused by the terrorists’ attack of March 28, 2022.
This move suggests the NRC may have succumbed to pressure from families of victims kidnapped on the ill-fated train.
The relatives of the victims had described the decision of the corporation to resume service on the route as insensitive to the plight of their loved ones who are still being held captive by the terrorists.
The NRC has now shifted the resumption indefinitely as no new date was given for service restoration.
In the statement issued by Yakub, the corporation apologised for the prolonged delay in the resumption of service while also assuring the kidnapped victims’ families that it was working very hard to safely secure the release of their loved ones.
It said, “The NRC will continue to cooperate and collaborate with the Federal Government in its uncompromising mandate of protecting the territorial integrity and the internal security of Nigeria for safeguarding the lives and properties of its citizens especially as it concerns the rail sub-sector.
“In same vein, we once again identify with the relatives of those in captivity on the account of the recent attack on AKTS to be rest assured that the Federal Government is alive to its responsibility for the safe rescue of all persons being held hostage.
“We therefore appeal, particularly to the relatives of persons held hostage to be patient and cooperate with the Corporation and the Security Agencies as the Federal Government is exploring all possible ways and means to ensure the safe release of their loved ones from captivity, soonest.
“The NRC expresses its profound gratitude to the security agencies for the continued support.”
There are over 50 kidnapped passengers still being held by the terrorists.
