Intensify search and rescue operations, COAS charges troops after train attack

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya has charged troops and other security agencies to intensify search and rescue operations following an attack by bandits on an ABuja-Kaduna train.

Faruk said this when he paid a visit to the scene of the train attack which saw the abduction of some passengers by bandits.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Army Spokesman, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu.

Nwachukwu said, “The COAS, who was accompanied by some principal staff officers of the Army Headquarters and the General Officer Commanding 1 Division, on arrival at scene, assessed the security situation around the general area of the attack and inspected the attacked train, as well as the rail track to evaluate the degree of damage.

“He ordered the troops of the NA and other security agencies to intensify their search and rescue operations to ensure that the kidnapped victims are rescued unconditionally.

“The COAS has also assured Nigerians that the troops will be undeterred and vehement in the fight against banditry and other forms of criminality.

“He urged members of the surrounding communities and all Nigerians to continue to avail troops with credible information to enhance their operations across the country. Gen Yahaya observed that the attack reverberates the need for critical stakeholders to review the security of railways across the country in order to achieve the desired security architecture for railway transportation.”

Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Government has revealed that the passengers who were stranded inside the attacked train have been evacuated.