Traders escape death as train derails in Ogun

File: Train

Dozens of traders and their customers narrowly escaped death on Friday when a passenger train derailed along the Abeokuta-Odeda-Ibadan Highway, blocking the busy road and causing a major traffic disruption.

Eyewitnesses told Saturday PUNCH that the train went off its tracks at Kila, missing the crowded roadside stalls by mere inches.

“It was a close call. If the train had veered slightly more, many of us would have been crushed,” one of the traders said.

The cause of the derailment has not been confirmed as of press time, but authorities have moved to manage the resulting gridlock.

The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps advised motorists, especially those transiting the corridor, to avoid the affected route and use alternatives like the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Babatunde Akinbiyi, the agency said it was working with the Nigeria Police Force, the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigerian Railway Corporation to clear the obstruction and restore normal traffic flow.

He said, “In view of the blockage of the Abeokuta-Odeda-Ibadan Highway caused by a train at Kila, motorists are advised to take alternative routes. TRACE, the Police, and FRSC are in liaison with the NRC to resolve the situation.”

Efforts to reach the NRC spokesperson, Mahmood Yakub, for comments were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages were not returned. Punch