A train travelling from Itakpe in Kogi State to Ujevwu near Warri Delta State went off the tracks causing disruptions to rail services on the ever-busy line.
According to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), the derailment occurred at about 7.15pm Thursday, adding that the Warri-Itakpe rail service has now been suspended for the meantime. This is not the first time the services would be disrupted due to coach derailment. In January 2023 148 passengers and 30 crew were evacuated when a derailment happened at km 30 Ajaokuta-Itakpe section of the track.
A passenger on the derailed train, Ediri Oyibo, narrated the harrowing experience he and others endured as the coaches went off the tracks.
“As a frequent user of the train service, riding on the train from Ujevwu to Itakpe on Wednesday, 3rd of July 2024, I practically had my heart between my teeth when the train wobbled along its track at several locations; one, on top of a valley crossing,” Oyibo recounted.
He added that the incident was a disaster waiting to happen, particularly highlighting the dangers of a derailment on a valley crossing.
Another passenger, who is a broadcast journalist, Taribio Walson-Oweifawari, shared her terrifying experience on social media. “My coach is VIP and it is Coach 1. The coach immediately after ours was Coach 2 and it derailed. Hai!!! I just kept shouting Jesus when it looked like ours was going to tumble. Just a little bit more, that coach would have fallen off the high point, and taken our coach with it,” she wrote in a Facebook post.
Passengers also reported earlier issues during the trip, including a brake failure that caused the train to overshoot a station.
