Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Ameachi has blamed the delay with the procurement of security sensors to secure the rail line as responsible for the attack on Abuja-Kaduna train.
This was made known in a statement by Director of press, Eric Ojiekwe, disclosing that the minister said the security sensors not being able to be installed on the train was because the procurement process is a bit difficult, adding that shortening the approval process could have saved lives.
The Minister who was accompanied by the Minister of State for Transportation, Sen. Gbemisola Ruqayyah Saraki and the Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi made this known on inspection of the blast site located between Rijana and Dutse section, about Km 137 from Abuja.
Ameachi said the sensors would have been able to inform the system when there are people around the rail tracks, as the equipment picks up sensors when the tracks are bridges, thereby making it possible to respond to danger.
He stressed that there is urgent need to acquire the equipments else more lives will be lost, stating we need to do that to enable us see from Kaduna-Abuja, Itakpe-Warri and from Lagos-Ibadan, what is going on so that we don't continue to lose lives because lives are important. If we dont do that, more persons will die. The cost was about N3billion and the damage here is more than N3billion. So, if we had gotten the approval, we would have saved lives.
On the measures to be deployed pending grant of approval, the Minister disclosed that the idea of employing natives to bridge security gaps in the remote areaas is being considered.
Regarding the number of persons on board the train and others, Amaechi said the total number of passengers on the train was 398 less staff of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, cleaning staff; all of whom were not on the manifest. He added that the number of missing, kidnapped and injured persons have not been ascertained.
On the patrol vehicles recently donated to the Railway corporation, Amaechi said they are available but cannot reach everywhere as some of the terrain are inaccessible, adding that attacks have been forestalled in sections within reach of the patrol trucks.
Chairman, Governing board, Nigerian railway corporation, Engr. Ibrahim Alhassan Musa, while condoling with those who lost their loved one in the sad event, urged everyone to be security conscious and to report any suspicious activity to the relevant authority.
Source: www.clintonsdaily.com
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