Some family members of passengers aboard the Kaduna-bound train attacked on Monday have expressed anxiety over the fate of their relatives.
Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria at the Rigasa Railway station in Kaduna on Tuesday, they said they were yet to establish contact, 14 hours after the tragic incident.
They, therefore, appealed to the government to come to their aid and save them from the trauma of losing their loved ones.
Mr Mohammed Barau, a resident of the Ungwan Rimi area of Kaduna, said he was at the train station to have an update regarding the incident, adding that his younger brother was in the train attack.
“We called his line several times without response until later his friend seated with him on the train picked and told us that my brother left his phone on the seat and that he did not know his whereabouts.
“When we later tried to call again, the phone was switched off, and when we called the friend, he was not picking up,” Barau said.
He then urged the government to come up with a comprehensive list that would give the public a sense of relief.
“By now, the government should have released a comprehensive list of people killed – those injured, as well as the number of people evacuated.
“At least, when this is done, it would give us some peace of mind, but we have not heard anything yet,” he complained.
Also, Miss Lami Gombo, a resident of Kudenden, in Kaduna, said she was yet to hear from her brother, who was on board the train.
She said, “His telephone lines are switched off; we have been to the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital but did not see him there.
“The development is worrisome; the entire family is confused as to whether our brother is still alive, dead, or had been kidnapped.”
A member of staff of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, who was also on the ill-fated train, said that some of the passengers had fled into the bush for safety when the incident occurred.
“Nobody can ascertain whether passengers were kidnapped or not, but the pandemonium must have caused a lot of people to run into the bush to safeguard their lives,” said the staff, who did not want his name mentioned.
NAN reports that the Kaduna-bound train, which left Abuja at 6 pm on Monday, was attacked by suspected terrorists around 7:45 pm, with just 15 minutes drive left for it to arrive at its final destination – Kaduna.
Kaduna State Commissioner for Home Affairs and Internal Security, Mr Samuel Aruwan, on Tuesday, said the train had been secured by military personnel, and that government had evacuated passengers aboard the train.
He said the staff of Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency and the Nigerian Red Cross, Kaduna chapter, conducted the evacuation.
When contacted by NAN for details of the casualty figure, an official of KADSEMA who did not want his name mentioned, said they were still working on the details.
Meanwhile, train service including other business activities at the Rigasa Railway station, Kaduna, has been grounded as a result of the incident.
NAN
