The Deputy Director, Public Relations of the Nigeria Railway
Corporation (NRC), Yakub Mahmood, made this known in a statement issued in
Lagos on Monday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a Kaduna-bound
train from Abuja was attacked on March 28 by armed bandits, during which at
least eight persons were killed while several others were kidnapped.
The Nigerian Railway Corporation on March 29 suspended train
operations along the Abuja-Kaduna route indefinitely.
Mr Mahmood said the corporation wished to inform its valued
customers that additional security measures were being put in place at both the
train stations and the track to ensure the safety of passengers onboard.
He said that such measures were not only for the
Abuja-Kaduna Train Service (AKTS) but also for all the passenger train
services, especially on the standard gauge railway lines.
“Consequently, the passengers are hereby enjoined to
cooperate with the NRC in order to enjoy improved service delivery, safety and
comfort.
“This is by patiently complying with additional measures
that will surely be introduced for the safety of our passengers, such as
requesting for passengers National Identification Numbers (NIN).
“The NIN is part of our internal security check; in
addition, presentation of the following must be strictly complied with before
boarding the train:
“A valid photo Identification Card (ID), reachable telephone
number of Next of Kin (NOK) or close relative and an Online and offline
purchase of tickets must contain the passenger’s individual profile or
identification data,” he said.
Mr Mahmood said concerted effort to secure the safe release
of the abducted passengers being held hostage by the terrorists was continuing
out of the public domain for strategic security reasons.
He assured relatives of the abducted citizens still in
captivity that the safe rescue of the passengers was a top priority.
The NRC official said that they should not misconstrue the
resumption of train services as abandonment or nonchalant attitude of the
government towards their plight.
He said the federal government would never abdicate its
responsibility in rescuing these valuable citizens. However, it assured of its
resolve not to succumb to threats by any faceless group.
Mr Mahmood appealed to customers for understanding and
invited them to cooperate with their staff at the various train stations.
He urged passengers to desist from obtaining tickets through
unauthorised sources.
0 comments:
Post a Comment