The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi says he warned his colleagues at the Federal Executive Council about possible attacks on the Kaduna-Abuja rail line that could lead to loss of lives and property before the Monday incident that claimed lives.
The Federal Executive Council is made up of President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and the ministers.
During the attack, many passengers were kidnapped, others shot dead and an unascertained number of the passengers also sustained various degrees of injury.
Amaechi, who visited the scene on Tuesday said nobody listened to him when he requested for necessary digital security and crime prevention equipment that could forestall such a disaster.
He decried that tracks, locomotives and coaches had been lost, including human beings, adding that “the equipment is just N3 billion.”
He said, “Because if we had the equipment, you will see nobody on that track. And I warned that lives will be lost. Now, lives are lost. Eight persons dead, 25 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 N3 billion. 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 the 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.”
