In a statement on Sunday, Kayode Opeifa, the NRC’s managing
director and chief executive officer, said the incident occurred around 7:30 pm
at kilometre 212+8m, Agbor.

Opeifa said all passengers on board were safely evacuated to
Agbor, with no casualties or injuries recorded.

“The Management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC)
wishes to inform the general public that a train derailment incident occurred
yesterday at approximately 19:30 hours, involving two out of the seven coaches
of our Warri-Itake Train Service (WITS) at Kilometer 212+8m, Agbor,” the
statement reads.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident may
have been caused by suspected track vandalism.

“We are pleased to confirm that all passengers on board were
safely evacuated to Agbor, and everyone has been fully accounted for. No
casualties or injuries were recorded.

“Our recovery team, supported by security personnel, has
been at the site since last night carrying out recovery operations. These
efforts are progressing steadily and are expected to be completed soon.”

As a precautionary measure, the NRC said train services on
the corridor have been suspended temporarily to enable a comprehensive security
and safety audit of the track and related infrastructure.

The corporation also apologised for the disruption, noting
that normal operations will resume once the corridor is confirmed safe.

The development comes barely a week after the NRC announced
resumption of operations on the Warri–Itakpe corridor following an earlier
suspension of service.

The corporation said the pause was to allow for essential
repairs, maintenance work, and system checks on the track and rolling stock to
enhance passenger safety, reliability, and comfort.