274
 |
| Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya accompanied by some soldiers visit the scene of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack. |
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya on Tuesday visited the scene of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.
The COAS was accompanied by some principal staff officers of the Army Headquarters and the General Officer Commanding 1 Division, on arrival at the scene.
The COAS assessed the security situation around the general area of the attack and inspected the attacked train, as well as the rail track to evaluate the degree of damage
Although the number of causalities is yet to be confirmed, many are feared killed while several others have been kidnapped.
The incident happened around 7:45 pm on Monday at Dutse village in Chikun Local Government Area, just a few kilometres from the Rigasa train station, which is the last transit point of the train.
The bandits were said to have opened fire, shot sporadically on the train, and later gained access to the train.
The COAS however, ordered the troops of the Nigerian Army and other security agencies to intensify their search and rescue operations to ensure that the kidnapped victims are rescued unconditionally.
He assured Nigerians that the troops will be undeterred and vehement in the fight against banditry and other forms of criminality.
He urged members of the surrounding communities and all Nigerians to continue to avail troops with credible information to enhance their operations across the country. Gen Yahaya observed that the attack reverberates the need for critical stakeholders to review the security of railways across the country in order to achieve the desired security architecture for railway transportation.
