PREMIUM TIMES reported the Saturday attack on the train station in Edo State.
The attackers, who the police described as ‘herdsmen,’ shot sporadically before kidnapping a yet-to-be-confirmed number of passengers.
Some of the passengers also sustained gunshot injuries, the police said in a Sunday statement.
The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) announced the closure of the station in a short message on Sunday.
“Public Announcement: This is to inform our general public and most especially our esteemed passengers, that Ekehen Station has been temporarily closed due to security issues, till further notice,” it wrote.
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Also, the transportation ministry, which supervises the NRC, has condemned the attack.
“The Federal government condemns the despicable and utterly barbaric kidnapping of passengers at Tom Ikimi Train Station Igueben Edo State,” the Director of Press & Public Relations in the ministry, Henshaw Ogubike, wrote in a Sunday statement.
“The Public is hereby reassured that the security Agencies are making efforts to rescue the kidnapped Train passengers. The Nigerian Police is on the trail of the criminals and have mobilised with a view to protecting the lives and property of the remaining passengers. The Government is saddened by this unpleasant development and assures on its prompt response to the ugly situation.”
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He said further details about the incident will be communicated later.
The Edo attack comes several months after terrorists attacked a Kaduna-bound train in northern Nigeria, killing some passengers and kidnapping dozens of others.
Most of the kidnapped passengers were released after the payment of ransom and the rest after the attackers reached a deal with government negotiators.
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