A passenger train travelling from Abuja to Kaduna derailed on Tuesday morning, causing multiple coaches to overturn and sparking panic among passengers.
The incident occurred at Asham, shortly after the train departed Abuja at 9:45 a.m. Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes as frightened passengers scrambled to safety amid widespread confusion.
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The exact cause of the derailment remains unknown at this time.
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Military personnel were reportedly deployed to the site to assist in evacuating stranded passengers and restoring order.
Social media images from the scene showed at least three carriages tipped over near the Jere train station, located along the frequently troubled railway line connecting Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, to Kaduna in the north.
“I can confirm the incident but I can not confirm if there is any casualty Or not,” Ezekiel Manzo, spokesman for Nigeria’s national emergency management agency (NEMA), told AFP.
Manzo added that a NEMA team was on its way to the scene to provide assistance.
The Abuja-Kaduna railway line has a history of frequent disruptions. Services were recently affected due to an axle issue, while another derailment occurred near Jere station in 2024 without casualties.
A previous derailment was also reported in 2023 near the Kubwa train station.
The railway service experienced a six-month suspension after a 2022 attack, during which gunmen killed approximately a dozen people and kidnapped around 60 passengers. Those abducted were later released after several months in captivity.
Opened in 2016 after five years of construction, the 186-kilometre (115-mile) railway line was designed to offer a safer travel alternative to road transport, which is frequently plagued by accidents and armed attacks.
