Warri-Itakpe Train Service Suspended Following Derailment Four Days After Resumption

The Warri-Itakpe train service has been halted after a derailment occurred on Saturday, merely four days after the route resumed operations. The incident was confirmed by the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) in a statement released on Sunday.

According to the statement from NRC Managing Director, Kayode Opeifa, the derailment took place at 7:30 pm on Saturday at Kilometre 212+8m near Agbor. Two of the train’s seven coaches were involved.

Preliminary investigations point to suspected track vandalism as the likely cause. This aligns with concerns raised by an NRC official, who anonymously cited repeated infrastructure targeting by vandals as a primary cause of recent incidents.

All passengers were safely evacuated to Agbor, with no reports of casualties or injuries. A recovery team, accompanied by security personnel, has been deployed to the site, and operations are underway.

In response, the NRC has temporarily suspended services on the corridor to conduct a comprehensive security and safety audit of the track and related infrastructure. The corporation has apologized for the inconvenience and stated that normal operations will resume once safety is verified.

This incident is the latest in a series of challenges for the service. The Warri-Itakpe line, which at approximately 350km is the longest of Nigeria’s three modern train routes, was previously suspended from August 2 until its recent resumption on Wednesday. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics indicates that vandalism has been a significant factor in over 188 rail-related incidents recorded between 2020 and 2025.