A group of suspected terrorist bandits attacked a passenger train headed to the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna from the capital Abuja late on Monday by detonating explosives on the rail track in order to trap the train, officials said.
One of the passengers also confirmed the bombing on social media, saying attackers destroyed the engines of the train after planting explosives and had surrounded the train, shooting sporadically.
A Kaduna State government spokesman confirmed that fatalities were recorded and multiple people have been injured. The official did not state the exact number of casualties or wounded.
Aruwan noted that the evacuation of passengers trapped on the train was completed early on Tuesday and the military has secured the area.
“The military has secured the Kaduna-bound train from Abuja trapped by terrorists,” he said. “[Passengers] that sustained injuries have been rushed to hospitals for urgent medical attention.”
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
The train was stopped about 15 miles to Kaduna when the attack happened, an official of the Nigerian Railways Corp (NRC) said, adding that a family relative was also trapped on the Kaduna-bound service.
It is the second train attack since October in Nigeria, which faces an insurgency by Islamic terrorist groups and armed bandits that have kidnapped hundreds of students, travelers, and villagers for ransom.
Some people have opted to travel by rail after several kidnappings by armed bandits on Nigerian highways, especially in the northwest of the country.
The incident came two days after gangs—known locally as “bandits”—invaded Kaduna International Airport, killing aviation workers and leaving many others wounded.
