Many Passengers Still Unaccounted for After Nigerian Train Attack

On March 29, 2022, a passenger train carrying at least 970 people from Abuja to Kaduna, was attacked by suspected bandits. It was learnt that the train derailed after an improvised explosive device detonated.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation has said that its manifest shows that there were 362 passengers on board the train before the attack happened. However, many Nigerians believe the figures may be be much higher, due to fraud that occurs at train stations.

The agency said it has confirmed the safety of 14 more passengers, bringing that total number to 186. Of the remaining 176 passengers, eight have been confirmed dead, while the families of 22 passengers have formally declared them missing.

This indicates that a total of 168 passengers have yet to be accounted for, including the 22 declared missing by their families, reports Premium Times. It is not yet clear if all the 168 were kidnapped by the attackers or have just not been accounted for, a week after the incident.

The train had become popular among people travelling between the two states, as it was considered safer compared to the Abuja-Kaduna road. Hundreds of people had been killed or kidnapped on the Abuja-Kaduna road in the past few years.