Last week, the Federal Government of Nigeria announced that the suspended Abuja-Kaduna train services will commence operation on Monday, November 28.
Although the train services did not resume as announced, the minister of transportation, Mua’zu Sambo said its operation will kick off within the next seven days.
The Nigerian government made the announcement through the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) exactly eight months after some terrorists launched an attack on a Kaduna-bound train on Monday, March 28.
The attack led to the killing of several passengers on the train including a female doctor, Chinelo Megafu.
Also, the terrorists successfully abducted over 100 passengers who were later released in bits after several months and negotiations.
However, in its recent advisory, FG said passengers billed to use the train to travel to Kaduna or Abuja will not be allowed to board without being in possession of three key things.
These 3 things include:
- Registered phone numbers
A statement released by the NRC said every passenger on board the train must have their mobile numbers registered.
The passengers are also expected to make payment for their tickets using their registered phone numbers.
- National Identification Numbers
The National Identification Number in Nigeria which is given to every Nigeria is a unique number issued by the National Identification Management Commission (NIMC).
It consists of 11 non-intelligible numbers randomly chosen and assigned to an individual at the completion of enrolment into the National Identity Database (NIDB).
Any passenger who plans to board the train from Abuja to Kaduna and vice versa must present their NIN before they are allowed to use the train services.
The NRC has also warned that it is dangerous for any Nigerian to use his or her NIN to purchase train tickets for unknown persons as this may lead to criminal prosecution should the said passenger be found wanting.
Sambo, minister of transportation said:
“If you don’t have a national identification number (NIN) you are not going to board our train. It is as simple as that.
“If you are a minor, an adult will pay for you and will register for you and an adult can only register for not more than four minors.”
- Identify Verification Devices
The minister also said that all passengers on board any other trains must be ready to pass through FG identity verification devices.
Sambo assured that the devices will be deployed at each train station on the route for its officials to verify the validity of the identities of passengers.
