The Nigerian Railway Corporation has said that the rail transport on the Warri-Itakpe corridor is completely safe.
The corporation recently shared that reports warning Nigerians to avoid the corridor should be ignored completely.
Speaking via a press statement, the acting Deputy Director, Public Relations, NRC, Mr Callistus Unyimadu, said that the claims that the rail corridor is currently unsafe for travel are false and misleading.
According to him, no Nigerian should make the mistake of cancelling their travel plans on the Warri-Itakpe lane because it is free from any form of danger and fully operational.
“The attention of the NRC has been drawn to a widely circulated social media message warning the public to avoid train travel, particularly along the Warri-Itakpe rail corridor.
The message, accompanied by a short video showing removed rail clips, falsely claims that rail transport is currently unsafe and urges passengers to cancel travel plans. We wish to categorically state that this information is misleading and unfounded,” he said.
Callistus revealed that the incident, which involved the temporary removal of some rail clips at a particular location on the corridor, was swiftly detected during routine inspection and immediately fixed by the NRC maintenance team.
He concluded by emphasising that the NRC remains committed to the highest standards of safety and security in all its operations.
“All necessary safety and operational protocols were strictly followed to ensure that no threat was posed to passengers or the integrity of the train operations.
Indeed, the Warri-Itakpe train (WITS) has successfully passed through the affected section without any incident, further confirming the safety of the route.
We, therefore, urge the public to disregard the viral message and continue to use our train services with full confidence. Any attempt to spread fear or discourage the use of rail transport undermines the progress being made in the sector and should be condemned.
Train services on the Warri-Itakpe corridor and all other NRC corridors remain safe, reliable, and fully operational. For official updates and travel advisories, we encourage passengers to rely only on verified NRC communication channels,” he added.
