A former senator representing Kaduna Central, Mr. Shehu Sani, said on Thursday that he and some other passengers survived a bomb blast when an Abuja-Kaduna train ran over an explosive device planted on the rail track.
He stated this via his official twitter handle just as the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) on Thursday put on hold its Abuja-Kaduna service following a reported terrorist attack on a Kaduna-bound train.
The train was reportedly attacked with explosives by gunmen on two different occasions on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
In a tweet, Sani said it took a miracle for him and other passengers on the train to escape.
“Yesterday, terrorists attacked the Kaduna Abuja railway with an explosive & opened fire on the train, targeting the Engine Driver & the Tank,”
“This morning, I was on board when our train ran over another explosive (and it) damaged (the) rail. It took a miracle for us to escape,” he tweeted.
The NRC management which confirmed the report on Thursday stated that investigations were ongoing to determine if the facility was actually bombed as widely speculated.
In a message to passengers on its booking website, the NRC said it suspended the service for the safety of travellers.
The corporation said it was working to restore the service, and will inform the public when the train starts running again.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances, train services have been immediately suspended for the safety of our dear passengers.
“Efforts are in place to restore service. Further information would follow immediately, the service is restored.”
It was gathered that the windshield of the train was shattered and a portion of the track was blown away in the attack.
