The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has once again halted operations of its passenger service on the Warri–Itakpe railway line, just days after the route’s latest resumption.
On Saturday evening, a derailment occurred when two of the seven coaches on the train came off the tracks at Kilometre 212 +8 m near Agbor in Delta State, though, thankfully, there were no casualties or injuries. All passengers were safely evacuated and accounted for. According to the NRC, preliminary findings point to “suspected track vandalism” as a possible cause.
Following the incident, NRC announced the immediate suspension of the service corridor to allow for a full safety and infrastructure audit. A statement released Sunday by Managing Director Dr. Kayode Opeifa explained that a recovery team, with support from security personnel, was deployed to the site overnight.
Dr. Opeifa’s statement added:
“The Management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) wishes to inform the general public that a train derailment incident occurred yesterday at approximately 19:30 hrs, involving two out of the seven coaches of our Warri-Itakpe Train Service (WITS) at Kilometer 212+8 m, Agbor. Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident may have been caused by suspected track vandalism. We are pleased to confirm that all passengers on board were safely evacuated to Agbor, and everyone has been fully accounted for. No casualties or injuries were recorded. Our recovery team, supported by security personnel, has been at the site since last night carrying out recovery operations—these efforts are progressing steadily and are expected to be completed soon. As a precautionary measure, train services on the corridor have been temporarily suspended today to enable a comprehensive security and safety audit of the track and related infrastructure. We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may cause our valued passengers and the general public. Normal operations will resume as soon as it is verified safe to do so.”
This is not the first disruption on the Warri–Itakpe line. Earlier in April, the NRC suspended services after multiple engine failures and indicated that additional time was needed even after repairs to fully implement safety redundancies and system upgrades. That suspension followed a service re-start announcement in February.
The repeated interruptions—whether from technical faults or infrastructure issues—highlight persistent operational and safety concerns on the corridor. Passengers and stakeholders will be watching closely for the NRC’s next move and how it addresses long-term reliability of the line.
