The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB, has said that the Abuja–Kaduna train derailment at Asham Station on August 26 was caused by defective infrastructure and lapses in safety management within the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC.
According to its preliminary findings, the incident—the second at the same station in 13 months—occurred shortly after the train passed a manually operated switch point that had earlier been declared unserviceable.
Investigators found that track sleepers damaged during the earlier derailment were merely patched rather than fully replaced. They also noted that the point clip used to secure the switch was broken at the time of the accident.
The bureau further revealed that NRC staff had only received initial training without refresher courses, while key monitoring tools such as CCTV cameras, communication devices, and even station clocks were not functioning.
Maintenance equipment and spare parts from the Original Equipment Manufacturer, OEM, were also reported to be largely unavailable.
Although 21 passengers were injured, there were no fatalities among the 618 people on board.
The NSIB recommended that the NRC replace all compromised sleepers, install OEM-standard point switches along the Abuja–Kaduna corridor, and restore defective monitoring systems.
It also urged the corporation to prioritise refresher training for personnel.
The bureau stressed that the findings are preliminary and subject to further analysis, with the final report expected to provide deeper conclusions and additional safety measures.
(Agency Report)
