The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, has said that it will take more than N3 billion to replace what had been lost to the terrorists attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train
The terrorists had attacked the AK9 train on Monday night and killed eight passengers, injured 26 others while unspecified passengers are yet to be accounted for as at Wednesday.
But speaking to journalists after visiting the scene of the attack on Tuesday, Amaechi said lives could have been saved and the incident avoided if a N3billion digital security equipment had been acquired.
He said, “We knew what the problem would be. We knew we needed to have digital security equipment. We applied for it.
“Because if we had those equipment, you will see everybody on that track. And I warned that lives will be lost. Now, lives are lost. Eight persons dead, 26 persons in the hospital. We don’t know how many persons have been kidnapped. And the cost of that equipment is just N3 billion.
“The cost of what we’ve lost is more than N3 billion. We’ve lost tracks, we’ve lost locomotives and coaches. We’ve lost human beings. And the equipment is just N3billion.
Lamenting the attendant loss of lives, damaged rail track and coaches, Amaechi said, “To fix all the things on that track now, will cost us more than N3 billion. And now even the things we said give us approval to buy – at the time we asked for it, dollar was N400, now it is N500. When you come with sincerity to government and your colleagues and people are stopping you, it is annoying.”
