NSIB REPORT INDICTS NRC OVER ABUJA-KADUNA TRAIN ACCIDENT

The train accident that happened on the Abuja-Kaduna rail line over four weeks ago has been blamed on poor maintenance and a faulty track switch. The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB, made the revelation in a preliminary report of its investigation of the Abuja-Kaduna train derailment at Asham Station on Tuesday, August 26, 2025. The NSIB noted that several sleepers at the Asham Train Station that had been damaged in a previous incident were only patched, instead of replaced. The agency further noted that the automatic switch mechanism at the station’s crossing point was unserviceable at the time of the derailment. It observed that the switch had to be manually operated and secured using a point clip, which was later discovered to be broken, thereby compromising the integrity of the track alignment. The NSIB further noted that operational and maintenance tools, including spare parts from the Original Equipment Manufacturer, were largely inaccessible at the time of the incident. The Abuja-Kaduna passenger train involved in the accident on August 26, 2025, had six hundred and eighteen people onboard, with twenty-one injured, but no fatalities.