Abuja-Kaduna Train Derailment: NRC Boss Accepts Blame, Assures Probe

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Mr. Kayode Opeifa, has assumed full responsibility for Tuesday’s Abuja-Kaduna train derailment, which left several passengers injured but claimed no lives.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, Opeifa apologised to Nigerians, stressing that leadership demanded accountability whenever such incidents occur.

“Let me say, beyond apologising to Nigeria, I want to say as the managing director and chief executive, I take full responsibility. And in the case of safety, there is no indifference,” he said. “Once it happens, the chief executive must take responsibility. In this case, I am taking responsibility.”

The NRC boss confirmed that although no life was lost, four passengers sustained serious injuries while two others were treated and discharged almost immediately. He added that efforts were underway to monitor the condition of the remaining 618 passengers on board to address possible post-traumatic stress.

According to him, the derailment was a “near miss,” considering that such accidents often record fatalities. “We thank God. That was a near miss because for this kind of incident, you see some level of fatality, but we thank God for this,” he remarked.

Opeifa gave assurances that the incident would not be swept under the carpet, noting that investigations were ongoing. He further pointed out that the corporation had taken similar safety measures recently on the Warri-Itakpe corridor, which was shut down three weeks ago for critical repairs.

“I ordered the shutdown for safety reasons, and if you see the level of work the men have been doing on the track—cutting it off and replacing it—it is to make sure things like this don’t happen,” he said.

He maintained that while train accidents are undesirable and unanticipated, they often test institutional resilience and offer opportunities to strengthen operational standards.