Before the Abuja-Kaduna terror attack on Monday, Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi said that he warned of possible attacks on rail lines and tracks that could result in the loss of life and property.
To avoid this, the minister stated that he had sought appropriate digital security and crime prevention technology, but that his request had been denied.
After visiting the scene of the incident on Tuesday, the minister briefed journalists on his displeasure with the situation, which he believed could have been avoided if appropriate digital security technology had been in place.
We knew what the problem would be, he claimed. We were well aware that we would require digital security technology. We put in an application for it.
He said, “Because if we had those equipment, you will see nobody on that track. And I warned that lives will be lost. Now, lives are lost. Eight persons dead, 25 persons 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’ve lost is more than N3 billion.
“We’ve lost tracks, we’ve lost locomotives and coaches. We’ve 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.”