Repair of bombed rail tracks, coaches begins amid tight security

The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, on Saturday mobilised men in different units of Nigeria Police Force to the bombed sections of Abuja-Kaduna rail tracks following the commencement of repairs.

Apart from the police officers, personnel of the armed forces were also at the hot spots to secure workers of the Nigerian Railway Corporation carrying out some repairs on the affected coaches.

The officers were drawn from the Police Mobile Force, Counter Terrorism Unit, Special Forces, Intelligence Response Team, the Special Tactical Squad as well as airwing operatives in charge of unmanned aerial vehicles of the Force.

Acting spokesman for the Force, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who disclosed this in a statement, noted that the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, also patrolled the entire 163km stretch of the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway for “hands-on assessment” of the security challenges.

Adejobi said the police boss personally supervised the operational deployment of officers drawn from the police tactical squads to ensure the safety of travellers along the route.

“During the patrol, IGP Alkali equally visited personnel of the armed forces and police deployed at Rijana to secure technical crew of the Nigerian Railway Corporation undertaking repair work at the damaged train coaches and rail line on the axis, to boost their morale and assess the state of their post,” Adejobi said.

He added that the IG assured the public that with the strategic and operational deployment of officers along the route, normalcy would be restored.

Baba, according to the statement, also urged members of the public to share intelligence sharing with law enforcement agencies for effective policing of all spaces. (Daily Trust)