ABUJA – Secretary-General of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr. Musa Lawal Ozigi, has been reported to be among those who lost their lives in last night’s bandits’ attack on an Abuja-to-Kaduna train.
Ozigi’s death was reported by a social media post by some of his friends and associates.
The bandits were said to have stormed the train after they blew up the rail track to partially detail the coaches.
Also reported dead, according to several social media posts is one Chinelo Megafu, a young University of Port Harcourt-trained female medical doctor. She was said to have died this morning as a result of gunshot injuries sustained in the Monday night attack.
Similarly reported dead, according to a Facebook post by Adamu Muhammed Usman, one time Special Adviser on Media to the then Gov. Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, is Mr. Abdu Isa Kofar Mata, (Gigi K.Mata). He too was shot dead by the bandits, who were alleged to have also taken some of the train’s passengers hostage.
Although it is not yet clear as to the number of the dead, several also sustained varying degrees of injury.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya, has ordered troops to intensify their search and rescue operations, even as they continue manhunt for the terrorists.
Yahaya who visited the scene of the train attack, Tuesday, also assured Nigerians that the troops will be undeterred in the fight against banditry and other forms of criminality.
The COAS appealed to Nigerians, particularly villagers in the surrounding communities, to continue to avail operatives with credible information to enhance their operations across the country.
A statement issued by Brig. ONYEMA NWACHUKWU, Director, Army Public Relations, said the COAS was accompanied on the visit by some principal staff officers of the Army Headquarters and the General Officer Commanding 1 Division.
He used the opportunity if the visit to assessed the security situation around the general area of the attack, inspect the affected train and the bombed rail track to evaluate the degree of damage. (The Xpress)
