No fewer than 8 persons have been confirmed killed by terrorists in the Monday attack on a Kaduna-bound train.
The number of missing persons is still unknown, but the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, said 29 persons were injured.
The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, said 41 persons were receiving treatment.
Amaechi, who inspected the scene of the attack, said the incident would have been averted if his ministry had gotten approval for the procurement of integrated security surveillance and monitoring solution.
He said the digital system, which costs about N3 billion, would have helped detect human activities around the rail track.
The minister also said the damage done to the rail facility could cost over N3billion to fix, but failed to explain how he arrived at the figure.
Amaechi said: “We have lost locomotives; we have lost tracks; some have been kidnapped, we have lost human beings and to fix all those things will cost more than N3billion.”
On what was delaying the installation of the digital security system, Amaechi said: “We have not been able to install the security sensors because the procurement process is a bit difficult. It is typical of Nigerians.
“To shorten the process and save lives like this, we have to do the needful but the process is tedious, the approval is also tedious, we have not been able to get that approval that will lead to purchase of those items.
“If those items were here, drones alone will tell you that there are people around the rail tracks because there are drones, there are equipment that pick sensors if you touch the track but unfortunately the process has not been able to get us that approval for us to import those items.
“So for me, I am devastated and I honestly don’t know what to tell Nigerians anymore… The Ministry of Transport has finished everything, the other agencies are not under me.”
Amaechi was accompanied by the Minister of Police Affairs; Mohammed Dingyadi; Minister of State for Transportation, Gbemisola Saraki; Managing Director of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Mr. Fidet Okhiria and others.
Speaking after inspecting the site, Amaechi said: “We don’t have all the figures of missing persons, kidnapped and those injured at the moment but what do know is that there are eight casualties.
“There are 41 persons in the hospital and the total number of passengers on board was 398.”