FATAI Suleiman, husband of Selimota, victim of a fatal train accident which occurred on Thursday, December 15, in Kubwa, Abuja, said residents of the community where the accident occurred had appealed to the railway authorities many times to erect an overhead bridge across the rail crossing where the accident happened.
Suleiman disclosed this in an interview The PUNCH newspaper published today that he had reached out to the Ministry of Transportation over the issue.
“I personally wrote two letters to the Ministry of Transportation as the Secretary of the community association, and I can bring the copies to you if you want. The letters were received and stamped, but till today nothing has been done,” he said.
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Suleiman also noted that similar train accidents had occurred at the spot, at least, twice in the past, in which the victims were mutilated beyond recognition.
Selimotu Suleiman, a staff of the Nigerian Television Authority Channel 5, was crushed to death, on the rail line, while driving to work.
A viral video that circulated across the social media captured an attempt by the victim to get out of the vehicle before she was hit by the train.
Confirming the incident, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command said it had launched an investigation into the incident.
The incident occurred about two weeks after the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) restored services of the Abuja-Kaduna train station, nine months after they were suspended due to an attack on travellers by terrorists.
Following the incident, the NRC, in a statement, warned residents and road users in the area against using illegal railway crossings, but to make use of overpasses constructed to ensure the safety of motorists and trains in the city.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.