The Nigerian government has confirmed that train operations on the Abuja-Kaduna rail line are set to resume in November.
This was confirmed by Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, while giving the scorecard of his ministry.
Rail services along the route were suspended following a terrorist attack on the train on 28 March, 2022, with 168 passengers kidnapped and eight others killed.
What security measures are in place?
The Abuja-Kaduna rail line was first attacked in October 2021, when bandits destroyed a portion of the track with explosives.
The second attacks in March 2022 were much more serious, exposing the failure of authorities to act on intelligence reports, which has heightened concerns about a breakdown of security in the country.
Following these attacks and all that has been happening security-wise in the country, it is advisable to take precautionary measures against future attack on the rail service in Nigeria.
Although Sambo assured that adequate security has been put in place to ensure the safety of passengers, he, however, did not give specifics.
After the train attack, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muhammed Bello, awarded a contract worth N718 million to two security companies for the surveillance of the rail line.
What is not known though is how well these companies have carried out their security checks and installations.
What is expected?
As plans are ongoing to resume rail operations, one might ask if the security architecture that was meant to be installed has been installed.
Although Sambo said the ministry has learnt enough lessons from the attack in March, Nigerians need to know the status of the security system that has been installed.
There is a need for the government to adhere to international best practices of putting in place a top-notch security infrastructure.
The Indian Railways, for instance, installed CCTV in 2931 coaches and 668 stations in order to ensure passengers’ security.
It also installed an Integrated Security System (ISS), comprising surveillance of vulnerable stations through CCTV and Access Control to improve surveillance mechanisms for its over 202 stations.
The Nigerian government should take a cue from this and apply precautionary measures against any attack on the rail service in Nigeria.
Whatever measures have already been put in place must be doubled to ensure adequate security because the faster the security agencies receive information, the quicker they would act.
The government also needs to ensure proper security of the trains to ensure that such national disaster does not happen again.
Photo source: Daily Post
