How Security Forces Calmed, Secured, and Evacuated Passengers after Kaduna-Abuja Train Derailment By Samuel Aruwan
The Kaduna-Abuja Highway spans approximately 200 kilometers and traverses four local government areas of Kaduna State: Kaduna South, Chikun, Kachia, and Kagarko. It is a hugely strategic route. It connects Northern Nigeria from the Northwest – and parts of the Northeast – to the Federal Capital Territory, as well as to North-central states of Niger and Kogi, and then stretches onwards to the southern part of the country.
The sensitivity of the route as a crucial political and economic nerve is clear. Besides, it obviously bears large volumes of traffic. Any whiff of a security breach, incident, or mishap on the road – whether genuine, fake, or exaggerated – spreads like wildfire. The launch of the 186-kilometer standard gauge railway connecting Kaduna and Abuja in July 2016 threw another piece of critical national infrastructure firmly into the national reckoning alongside the road. This raised the profile of the infamous 2022 attack on the rail corridor, which I will touch on further on in this piece.
On Tuesday, 26th August 2025, while working on my academic assignments, I got a call from a passenger, informing me of the derailment of their Kaduna-bound train from Abuja. This had apparently occurred around the Asham general area, several kilometers off the Kaduna-Abuja Highway, and the passengers were understandably in a state of severe shock, anxiety and nervous tension as they were in the middle of nowhere with their minds conceiving the worst possibilities. I did my best to reassure my caller, affirming that there was no cause for alarm, and I was optimistic that troops who had always been on active fighting patrols around the area would show up. I did not explain that I was no longer an official of the government, but in a personal capacity, I managed to convey positivity and hope.
Thankfully, not long afterwards, I got some positive feedback. The passenger was effusive in praise for the sharpness and professionalism shown by the military during the ensuing search-and-rescue operations. That response is precisely what forms the backdrop to this narrative.
Immediately I received the information of this derailment, my mind flashed back to the night of 28th March 2022, when terrorists attacked a Kaduna-bound train from Abuja at the Audu-Jongom general area of Kasarami. I had a sudden recollection of the pain and anguish that followed, the search-and-rescue operation led by Major General KI Mukhtar (at that time the General Officer Commanding of 1 Division) and his team.
I recalled the evacuation of the corpses, victims so brutally and mindlessly killed, the feverish efforts to save the injured, and the distressing abduction of more than 60 passengers. I thought about the security advisories sent to the service operators only months before the incident, and the developments that unfolded in the months following the attack. These are details I have made known in other conversations. But all these aside, my fears about Tuesday’s derailment were allayed when learned it was not an attack, but an accident. Now back to my thought.
Following up with passengers who were on board, and with other sources, I was able to obtain a distinct account: the train while on its way to Kaduna, suddenly left its track close to Asham Train Terminal near Idda in Kaduna State. Of course, such an abrupt and physically jarring accident immediately triggered an almighty panic, with terrified passengers unable to tell what exactly had just happened. So many had already imagined the worst and concluded it was an attack, and had begun to brace themselves accordingly.
However, within ten minutes of this nightmare, a combat-ready army officer and his men arrived the scene and took control of the tense situation. That officer turned out to be one Colonel MH Abdullahi, Commanding Officer of Sub-Sector 4 Operation Fansan Yamma (OPFY).
The officer, I gathered, immediately calmed the passengers and informed them that support services and ambulances were on the way. He also told them that a train had been dispatched to evacuate those who wished to return to Abuja. He also offered vehicles to help transport others to Jere where they could get vehicles to Kaduna. For those who had decided to wait for their arranged means of pickup, troops were deployed around the terminal to protect them from any danger.
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The troops duly secured the passengers and the train, and then swung into action, conducting search-and-rescue while carrying out several tasks which included saving those in critical condition and evacuating them to a medical facility, securing the hundreds of anxious and bewildered passengers, and crucially, securing the infrastructure itself. The critically injured passengers were mostly in the first two coaches that had been upturned. The train driver also sustained injuries. Under the guidance of the Commanding Officer, these injured were immediately transported to a hospital, while he remained with the other passengers and the train. One little boy among the injured was given special attention by the Commander, who directed that his own vehicle be used to evacuate the child to a hospital in Abuja, as requested by his parents.
While the Commander and his men were in the thick of this crisis management exercise, an ebullient officer, Lt. Colonel JM Abdulkarim, who is said to be the Commanding Officer of the 102 Guards Brigade Battalion Suleja, arrived with his own men to strengthen the operations. A passenger with an injury to the spine and another with a head injury were administered emergency aid at the arrival terminal before they were conveyed in a Guards Brigade ambulance to the 102 Guards Brigade Battalion Medical Inspection Room. There they were stabilized and handed over to the medical team from the National Hospital Abuja for further expert management.
As the whole operation progressed, more troops from Sub-Sector 5 OPFY, the 167 Guards Battalion, along with the 197 Special Forces Battalion joined up, supported by other operatives and volunteers who had all been on the ground playing one role or the other—a display of collaboration and jointness for national security. At about 2:10 pm, the evacuation train from Idu Train Terminal arrived to convey the passengers returning to Abuja through Idu and Kubwa.
However, the impeccable security response also prompts a pressing question beyond their remit. While the troops secured the scene, the fundamental cause of the derailment remains the responsibility of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC). The public deserves to know: what preliminary findings have the NRC’s engineers uncovered? Was this a failure of track maintenance, a mechanical fault with the train itself, or an unforeseen external factor? The Corporation’s brief update, while commendable for its transparency on passenger numbers and refunds, was silent on this crucial aspect of investigation and accountability.
According to an update by the management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation on Tuesday, out of the total 618 individuals on the train, seven passengers suffered injuries of varying severity. Furthermore, the third-party ticketing agency has been instructed to promptly process refunds for all passengers on the disrupted service.
After the successful evacuation, the troops continued to secure the derailed coaches as engineers and other technical staff of the Nigerian Railway Corporation attended to the damaged sections and the tracks. The newly posted General Officer Commanding and Force Commander, Sector 1 of Operation Fansan Yamma (OPFY), Major General ASM Wase, arrived at the scene for a first-hand assessment of the incident and the brave roles played by the officers and men of the Operation. OPFY is a tri-service operation with officers and men from the Army, Navy, and Air Force along with other elements of the Police, Department of State Services, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
I conclude with this: the Commanding Officer, Colonel Abdullahi, and his men must be widely commended for their bravery, swift response, and the meticulous search-and-rescue operation they carried out in that Tuesday drizzle. This officer demonstrated the calm leadership, stabilizing influence, commitment, clear thinking and military competence demanded of a commander in an emergency involving distressed citizens and an anxious public.
The professionalism, commitment and compassion demonstrated by the Nigerian Military in their response to the Abuja-Kaduna train derailment incident stands as a powerful testament to their improved readiness, sharp capability and unfaltering commitment to public security. This operation – a refreshing and laudable success – ensured the safety and evacuation of hundreds of passengers under tense and difficult conditions. It not only averted a potential tragedy, but has presented an timely boost to public confidence, and a positive milestone for security on a crucial national corridor.
Aruwan is a postgraduate student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. [email protected]
