Train attack: ‘I warned that lives will be lost’ – Amaechi fumes

By our reporter| Nigeria’s transport minister, Rotimi Amaechi on Tuesday said he warned that people will be killed if digital security equipment were not acquired to secure the country’s rail lines.

Amaechi, who was reacting to Monday night’s terrorist attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train shortly after visiting the scene of the attack, said the unfortunate event could have been avoided if a N3 billion digital security equipment had been acquired.

According to him, it will now take more than N3 billion to replace what has been lost to the attack on the Abuja-Kaduna rail route.

“We knew what the problem would be. We knew we needed to have digital security equipment. We applied for it.

“Because if we had those equipment, you will see nobody on that track. And I warned that lives will be lost. Now, lives are lost. Eight persons dead, 25 persons in the hospital. We don’t know how many persons have been kidnapped. And the cost of that equipment is just N3 billion. The cost of what we’ve lost is more than N3 billion. We’ve lost tracks, we’ve lost locomotives and coaches. We’ve lost human beings. And the equipment is just N3 billion.

“To fix all the things on that track now, will cost us more than N3 billion. And now even the things we said give us approval to buy – at the time we asked for it, dollar was N400, now it is N500. When you come with sincerity to government and your colleagues and people are stopping you, it is annoying.”