The Federal Government, on Wednesday, approved the procurement and installation of luggage scanners in all railway stations in Abuja, Kaduna and Kano.
They include eight colour imaging X-ray scanners, eight body scanners metal detectors and 50 handheld scanners.
The Minister of State for Transportation, Ademola Adegoroye, who briefed State House correspondents after this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting, said the procurement would cost N498m.
Speaking at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Adegoroye said the new installation was part of the FG’s ongoing program to enhance railway transport safety.
The Buhari regime said it had aggressively developed Nigeria’s railway infrastructure nationwide.
However, with that expansion came security concerns with several episodes of reported armed robbery incidents, kidnapping, and terrorist attacks in the past two years.
On Monday, March 28, 2022, terrorists linked to the Boko Haram sect attacked a Kaduna-bound train leaving eight passengers dead and kidnapping at least 41.
Consequently, the Nigerian Railway Service halted all train services along the Abuja-Kaduna route for eight months.
Operations resumed in January 2023 amidst tight security and more scepticism among passengers.
Adegoroye who spoke on Wednesday said the devices were necessary due to the need to secure lives and property on the rail.
“So, today there was a memo before the Council for the provision of baggage scanners at railway stations and I’m happy to inform you that the Council agreed with us and has approved that contract for scanners to be installed at railway stations so that when people get there and have goods, then they can pass through the scanners and they can be sure that there’s nothing that can destroy, that can cause violence or inflict danger or bring lives and property at stake.
“You’ll all agree with me that in view of the process of securing lives and property, such equipment has to be installed at our railway stations.
“Since we’re starting the railway revolution, we are trying to put in place a lot of things with the railways. We don’t want people to come and damage all that the government has been trying to put in place in that sector,” he explained.
