ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced the closure of Ekehen Station in Edo State till further notice, following the rising security challenges at the train station.
The organization made the announcement on Sunday, 8 January, 2023.
It was gathered that gunmen suspected to be herdsmen on Saturday evening abducted many passengers waiting to board a train from the Igueben station in Igueben Local Government Area of Edo State to Warri in Delta State, while many others sustained injuries.
The incident came barely one year after the 28 March, 2022 attack by bandits on the Abuja-Kaduna train, a development that led to death of about 14 passengers while 65 others were abducted.
One of the victims and 21-year-old student of Kaduna State University, Lois Azurfa John, told The Punch that she declined marriage proposals by the Boko Haram commander while in the custody of the insurgents.
A public announcement by the NRC posted on the passengers’ WhatsApp Group stated that the closure was “till further notice.”
The statement reads: “Public Announcement: This is to inform our general public and most especially our esteemed passengers, that Ekehen Station has been temporarily closed due to security issues, till further notice.”
Also, another notice reads: “Due to the incident at Ekehen station on Saturday, WITS 01/ 02 will no longer stop at Ekehen Station. Please advise our customers.”
The Spokesperson for Edo State Police Command, Chidi Nwabuzor, confirmed the incident in a statement.
Nwabuzor noted that the abductors, armed with AK 47, invaded the train station and shot sporadically into the air before abducting scores of intending travellers into the bush.
He said that many of the passengers sustained bullet wounds, and assured that operatives were on the trail of the abductors with an aim to rescue those the kidnappers herded into the bush.
“This is to inform the gentlemen of the press that on January 7, 2023, at about 1600hrs, an unspecified number of herdsmen armed with AK-47 riffles attacked the train station at Igueben, Edo State and kidnapped an unspecified number of passengers who were waiting to board the train to Warri.
“The kidnappers who shot sporadically into the air before kidnapping some passengers left some persons with bullet wounds. The Area Commander Irrua, DPO Igueben Division, and men have visited the scene of the crime with members of the Edo State Security Network, local vigilantes, and hunters with a view to protecting the lives and property of the remaining passengers.
“Bush combing operations have commenced in order to rescue the victims and arrest the fleeing kidnappers. Further developments will be communicated,” he said.