The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) has suspended operations along the Warri–Itakpe route following the derailment of one of its passenger trains on Saturday evening.
The incident, which occurred around 7:30 p.m. at Kilometre 212+8m near Agbor, Delta State, involved two of the train’s seven coaches.
In a statement on Sunday, the NRC said preliminary investigations suggest the derailment may have been caused by suspected track vandalism.
NRC Managing Director, Kayode Opeifa, confirmed that all passengers were safely evacuated and accounted for.
“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,” he said.
Opeifa added that recovery teams, supported by security personnel, were working at the scene, and that operations would resume after a comprehensive security and safety audit of the affected track.
“As a precautionary measure, train services on the corridor have been temporarily suspended to enable a detailed security and safety inspection of the track and related infrastructure,” he stated.
The derailment occurred just four days after train services resumed on the route on October 29, 2025, following a suspension that began on August 2 due to recurring technical faults.
Stretching over 300 kilometres, the Warri–Itakpe line is the longest of Nigeria’s modern train routes.
The NRC apologised for the disruption and assured passengers that services would restart once the track was declared safe.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria has recorded over 188 rail-related incidents between 2020 and 2025, many linked to vandalism and criminal activity.
In August 2025, an Abuja–Kaduna train derailed with 618 people on board, prompting another temporary service suspension. Seven passengers sustained injuries in that incident.
Similarly, in January 2019, one person was killed in a derailment at Ashade Railway Crossing, Agege, Lagos, while several others were injured.
