COMMUTERS on the recently reopened
Lagos-Kano rail route are now stranded in Minna following the derailment
of a cargo train at Kutuwongi village in Mokwa Local Government Area,
Niger State, on Wednesday.
Also, a Lagos-bound train from Kano crushed an unidentified man to death in Minna.
Sources said the commercial train, which
departed Kano on Wednesday morning for Lagos, with fully loaded
passengers and merchandise, got stuck in Minna when it became obvious
that the Akere-Jebba route had been closed to traffic as a result of the
derailment of the cargo train conveying cement to Kaduna and Kano from
Lagos.
It was gathered, however, that before
the Lagos-bound train crushed the unidentified man to death about 50
metres to Minna station, it had encountered a distress signal (warning
it ahead of the derailed train in Minna).
The incident, which occurred around 8pm
on Wednesday night, threw residents of Mobil Round-about, a commercial
hub of Minna metropolis, into confusion but for the timely arrival of
policemen, who came to the scene to forestall a breakdown of law and
order.
Confirming the incident, Assistant
Superintendent of Police, Sebastine Ayejime, who is the Divisional
Police Officer in charge of the Minna Railway Police Station, said the
unidentified man was crushed to death by the Lagos-bound train a few
metres to the station.
According to him, the deceased was said
to be sleeping on the rail track despite the loud blaring of horn by the
approaching train. He said it was unfortunate that he refused to vacate
the scene, which led to his untimely death.
The DPO said police succeeded in
removing the man’s corpse from the scene of the accident. Unfortunately,
he said the Medical Director of Minna General Hospital and his team
refused to accept the remains because so many corpses had been deposited
without anyone coming forth to claim ownership.
However, efforts to speak with the
District Manager, NRC, Minna, proved abortive as he was said to have led
top management team to Kutuwongi village on a rescue mission to clear
the route in order to restore normal service.
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