After observing a minute silence in honour of the casualties of the various train mishaps on Tuesday, the House urged the NSIB to “investigate the causes of the various train incidences.”
While urging the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Railway Corporation, to provide measures to curb “these unfortunate occurrences,” the lawmakers mandated the relevant House committees to ensure compliance with the resolutions and report back within three weeks.
The resolutions were sequel to the unanimous adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by a member of the House from Akwa Ibom State, Unyime Idem, at the plenary.
Moving the motion titled ‘Urgent Need to Curb the Incessant Loss of Lives and Destruction of Properties in Train Mishaps’, Idem, who is representing Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency, listed some of the occurrences, though some were attacks on trains and passengers.
He partly said, “The House is aware that in January 2023, a train accident was reported in the Kubwa axis of Abuja, which claimed the life of Selimota Suleiman, a staff of the Nigerian Television Authority. On Thursday, March 9, 2023, a moving train rammed into a BRT bus in Lagos State, claiming about six lives and many others injured.
“On March 28, 2022, an Abuja-Kaduna train was attacked, and many Nigerians lost their lives while others were either injured or abducted. A Warri-Itakpe train derailed in Kogi forest, leaving not less than 300 passengers stranded barely a month after about 20 passengers were abducted from a train station in Igueben, Edo State.”
Idem added, “The House is saddened that in spite of these unfortunate trends, which are as a result of the carelessness of some individuals, no one has ever been held to account for the unfortunate loss of lives.
“The House is concerned that these unfortunate incidents are occurring very often because not much seems to be done to forestall the occurrence.”
