A passenger train en route from Abuja to Kaduna derailed on Tuesday morning, causing several coaches to fall off the track and sparking panic among commuters.
The incident happened shortly after the train left Abuja around 11 a.m. along the busy corridor. Witnesses reported that the derailment was sudden, causing passengers to scramble for safety in confusion.
“It was complete pandemonium,” one passenger told BusinessDay. “The coaches went off track without any warning. People were screaming, rushing out in different directions. We still don’t know if everyone made it out safely, but we pray there are no casualties.”
Another eyewitness described the atmosphere as “chaotic and frightening,” noting that those who managed to get out of the overturned carriages fled into open spaces around the tracks.
Confirming the development, Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Kayode Opeifa, said rescue efforts had been deployed to the scene.
“I don’t want to go into details yet, but I can confirm that the derailment occurred and rescue operations are ongoing as we speak,” Opeifa said in a phone interview on Tuesday.
As of press time, the exact cause of the accident had not been determined, and no official record of casualties had been released.
The Abuja–Kaduna rail line remains one of the country’s most patronised routes, conveying hundreds of commuters daily. It has, however, witnessed several disruptions in recent years, including the March 2022 terrorist attack in which many passengers were killed or abducted.
