Following the announcement and commencement of free train services throughout the country to ease movement in the Yuletide season, the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), have deployed security personnel to ensure the process goes peacefully.
Earlier on Friday, there were reports of large crowd struggling to board the free train at tne Rigasa Station in Kaduna State, but the acting managing director of the NRC, Ben Iloanusi, assured that adequate security has been provided to ensure a seamless process.
Iloanusi, who stated this when LEADERSHIP went to monitor the situation at the Kubwa Train station in Abuja on Friday, said the security of every passenger is paramount and that is why the NRC, the Police and other security agencies have been deployed massively to control the crowd and ensure a seamless process.
On how tickets will be obtained throughout the period, Iloanusi said all intending passengers are to obtain the free tickets online and come to the station on time to avoid rushing.
He stated that, “Passengers are advised to obtain their free tickets via the online e-ticketing platforms only. For the first day, we allow people with tickets board first, then assist others without tickets, but going forward, all passengers must ensure they get their tickets online.
“On the security side, all passengers are screened thoroughly with their NIN and properly approved identification. This will ensure that everyone entering the train is properly profiled to sanitise the process.”
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force said it has deployed adequate security personnel to the Train Stations and all other strategic places to ensure safety of passengers and travellers throughout the Yuletide period.
Recall that last year, the federal government declared a 50 per cent discount for inter-state road travels and 100 per cent discount for train trips for Nigerians travelling to celebrate Christmas and New Year with their families.
The discount price, which took effect from December 21, 2023, to January 4, 2024, benefitted no fewer than 112,000 passengers, according to the Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria.
This year, over 100,000 travellers are set to also benefit from the initiative as Iloanusi confirmed that only the train service carries about 20,000 passengers across the country daily.