The Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, has announced temporary disruption of Abuja–Kaduna train service, appealing to passengers to remain patient.

The Managing Director of the Corporation, Dr Kayode Opeifa, made the appeal in a statement issued on Tuesday, after public concerns over the reduced frequency of train services on the corridor.

Opeifa stated that NRC reviewed a recent article by veteran journalist Muhammad Iskeel Abdullahi published on the Journalists for Development platform, and appreciated the concerns raised as genuine and patriotic.

The Managing-Director described the Abuja–Kaduna corridor as a flagship service under Nigeria’s railway modernisation programme, noting that even minimal disruptions are widely felt by the public.

The NRC acknowledged the discomfort experienced by commuters, attributing the reduced services to damage sustained by its Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) rolling stock during an incident on August 26. It expressed regret over the inconvenience caused.

According to Opeifa, the service reduction was not due to neglect, but to two major setbacks: the March 2022 terrorist attack on the rail line, which prompted a comprehensive overhaul of safety procedures and enhanced collaboration with security agencies, and a recent derailment that damaged several coaches and reduced the number of operational rolling stock.

“The repairs and refurbishment are ongoing, while arrangements are being made to deploy additional coaches to restore normal service frequency.

“We assure passengers that the current challenges represent a phase of recovery and rebuilding rather than a decline in commitment.

“The Federal Government, under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has continued to support efforts to strengthen rail infrastructure nationwide, with the Minister of Transport working closely with the Corporation to accelerate full restoration,” Opeifa said.

Belgium Air Force Airbus 400M Atlas cargo aircraft is reportedly heading to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Brant Philip, a Sahel-region security analyst known for tracking military movements across West Africa, described the development as “unexpected”.

In a post on X, Philip wrote that the Belgium military aircraft was headed to the location where the Nigerian Air Force C-130 cargo plane is currently stationed.

He had earlier stated that an unidentified aircraft from Bamako, Mali, took off a few hours ago towards the north of the country before heading south towards Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.

He wrote: “Belgium Air Force Airbus 400M Atlas cargo aircraft is unexpectedly landing in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

“An unidentified aircraft from Bamako, Mali, took off a few hours ago towards the north of the country before heading south towards Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, where the Nigerian Air Force C-130 cargo plane is currently stationed, possible Malian delegation en route”.

Recall that since Monday night at least 11 Nigerian soldiers were being currently held by the Military regime in Bobo-Dioulasso in the South West of Burkina Faso.

They were detained after their aircraft conducted an emergency landing while “violating AES airspace.”

Ekwutosblog reported that a group of military officers had on December 7 announced the overthrow of the Benin Republic government.

However, the Benin Republic presidency said the coup was quashed and that President Patrice Talon was safe.

The discussions involve senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Defence Headquarters and ECOWAS desks.

The incident happened after the aircraft, which left Lagos for Portugal, developed a technical problem mid-flight and requested the nearest safe airport.