Over the weekend, two people were arrested in connection with the train derailment that happened on the Warri-Itakpe railway in Agbor, Delta state.
In a statement Wednesday, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) named the suspects as Mudansuru Mutari and Blorie Kokori.
Kayode Opeifa, the Managing Director of NRC, said that the police in Delta state are presently questioning the suspects. They will probably be moved to Abuja, where they will give additional information about the sabotage that caused the train to crash.
He stated, “The suspects, Mudansuru Mutari (27) and Blorie Kokori (39), were caught around Kilometer 208 before Abraka, Delta State, on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, by the NRC Police Command working with local security agents.”
“Initial investigations and their confessions showed that they were directly involved in tampering with important parts of the rail track.”
The derailment pulled out two of the seven coaches of the Warri–Itakpe Train Service (WITS) at Kilometer 212+8m, which is close to Agbor.
Opeifa added that early investigations showed that the event, which happened on Saturday at approximately 7:30 p.m., may have been caused by suspected vandalism of the tracks.
The head of the NRC also said that train services on the corridor had been temporarily stopped on Sunday as a safety measure so that a full security and safety check could be done on the track and other facilities.
The NRC chief praised the Railway Police Command and community security networks for their quick and coordinated response. He also said that the Corporation has a zero-tolerance stance on vandalism and called the act an economic crime.
Opeifa said that the re-railment and full repair of the part of the Warri–Itakpe track that was damaged were finished on Sunday, November 2, 2025.
He also said that normal train operations on the route will start up again on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, after the inspection and operational audit.
The head of the NRC reminded passengers and other interested parties that the agency was still committed to keeping the greatest levels of safety and reliability while also increasing surveillance, using cutting-edge security technologies, and being more involved with the community along all railway corridors.
He was grateful for the understanding and patience of passengers and the general public during the short time that service was stopped.
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