By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo

A survivor of Monday night’s bomb attack on an Abuja-Ibadan route train has described his experience, saying when the explosives went, the earth shook after which the terrorists began to rain bullets on them.

Meanwhile, relevant authorities were liaising with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to ascertain the list from the passengers manifest for efficient tracking.

The Managing Director/CEO of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Mr. Fidet Okhiria, had earlier confirmed the attack, but did not give details.

‘How Allah saved me’

A passenger, who survived the attack, told journalists on phone that while in transit, “we heard a loud bang. A bomb exploded.”

He recalled that “the earth shook and within the twinkle of an eye, it was gunshots everywhere.”

According to him, the passengers in the train who were about a thousand, fell on each other when the train derailed.

“The terrorists surrounded the coaches and shot sporadically.

“Many were wounded. Some were hit by bullets as the terrorists closed in, trying to infiltrate the coaches.

“As the confusion heightened, many ran into the bushes on both sides of the track. It was by the will of Allah that I survived,” he said.

Kaduna govt

Meanwhile , the Kaduna State Government said on Tuesday that the “evacuation of passengers on the trapped Kaduna-bound train from Abuja has been concluded this morning by security forces, officials of Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and Nigerian Red Cross.”

Samuel Aruwan , the Commissioner, Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Kaduna State, issued on statement,explaining that “passengers who sustained injuries, and other fatalities, have been moved to hospitals.”

According to him, ”passengers were evacuated from different hard-to-reach areas in forests and rocky locations in Audujongom, off the Kaduna-Abuja Road.”

“As stated yesterday, the Kaduna State Government is still liaising with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to ascertain the list from the passengers manifest for efficient tracking.”

“Governor Nasir El-Rufai who commended all those who participated in the evacuation, appealed to the hospitals to attend to the victims diligently.”

“The Governor also directed the Ministry of Health to be in contact with the hospitals as government will bear the cost of their treatment.”As of the time of this update, search-and-rescue operations are in progress.”