For the second time in a year, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has suspended passenger operations on the Warri-Itakpe route following a train derailment on Thursday evening.
The incident, which occurred around 7:15 pm, involved a train traveling from Itakpe in Kogi State to Ujevwu in Delta State. According to reports from passengers onboard, the train exhibited worrying signs throughout the journey, including wobbling excessively at several points and even briefly passing a scheduled station due to brake issues.
Thankfully, there were no reports of injuries. However, the near-misses and the eventual derailment have raised serious concerns about the safety of the Warri-Itakpe rail line.
"As a regular passenger," said Ediri Oyibo, a digital strategist who was on the train, "the journey felt like a disaster waiting to happen, especially considering how the train wobbled precariously at several points, including on top of a valley crossing."
Another passenger, broadcast journalist Taribio Walson-Oweifawari, described a harrowing experience where the coach behind hers nearly plunged off a bridge during the derailment.
"My coach was Coach 1, which is the VIP coach," Walson-Oweifawari wrote in a Facebook post. "The coach right behind us, Coach 2, was the one that derailed. It was a terrifying moment. Thankfully, our coach didn't go over the edge with it."
The NRC announced the suspension of service on Friday morning, citing an "unexpected fault." The corporation also apologized for any inconvenience caused.
This latest incident comes after a similar derailment on the Warri-Itakpe line in January 2023, and another derailment on the Kaduna-Abuja route in May 2024. These repeated occurrences raise questions about the NRC's commitment to maintaining safe railway infrastructure and operations.