The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said on Tuesday the Federal Government would require more than N3billion to fix equipment damaged during the attack on the Abuja-Kaduna passenger train by bandits.
Bandits had on Monday night bombed the passenger train and forced it to derail a few minutes into the trip in Kaduna.
Amaechi, who disclosed this to journalists during an assessment visit to the scene of the attack, said the cost of replacing equipment damaged by the terrorists would be more than N3 billion in monetary terms.
He stressed that the incident could have been avoided if the government had acquired the digital security equipment required to monitor movements of trains and ensure passengers’ safety.
The minister said: “We knew what the problem would be. We knew we needed to have digital security equipment. We applied for it.
If we had the equipment, this incident would have been completely avoided. I warned that lives will be lost and now lives were lost. Eight persons were confirmed dead and 25 others in the hospital.
“We don’t know how many persons have been kidnapped. And the cost of that equipment is just N3 billion. The cost of what we have lost is more than N3 billion. We have lost tracks, locomotives and coaches. We have lost human beings. And the equipment is just N3 billion.
“To fix all the things on that track now, will cost us more than N3 billion. And now, even the things we said give us approval to buy – at the time we asked for it, dollar was N400, now it is N500. When you come with sincerity to government and your colleagues and people are stopping you, it is annoying.”