The Minister of transportation Rotimi Amaechi has handed over Six patrol vehicles and five scanners to the Nigerian railway corporation .
The permanent secretary Mrs Magdalene Ajani who represented the Minister said this was aimed at improving security architecture on the Abuja – -Kaduna railway corridor.
“The vehicles are not meant to be plying on the rail tracks, it is to aid what the security agents are doing. If there is an emergency call, they will be able to move from point A to B and it may not necessarily be along the rail track. It is part of the things that they need to do to keep the place safe.”
She explained the security layout on the corridor presently adding that there are plans to secure fiber optic and other equipment to beef it up.
‘The security apparatus we have for most of the rail track has a number of components into it. we have the local people that are patrolling, the Civil Defence, the police corps of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, and we have locations where stations are, where we need the security men to be able to move from one location to the other in addition to the fact that we are also looking at surveillance applications and fibre optical equipment too but for the movement of the security, we need these vehicles.”
Receiving the vehicles, the MD Nigeria Railway Corporation,Engr Freeborn Okhiria said the gesture has served as a motivation and morale booster for the NRC and promised improved security on the railroad.
this is to show that we have risen up to the challenges we are facing with insecurity and the minister has decided to buy us some vehicles to ease insecurities on the tracks, so that is why we are here today.”
Okhiria said there are further plans to increase the number of rides on the rail corridors to avoid idle time which will afford the vandals time to carry out their activities.
He said the free rides approved by the federal government from December 24 to January 4 also afforded citizens who could not afford the rides an opportunity to enjoy the rail infrastructure which will promote an ownership spirit and eradicate resentment which contributes to vandalism.
NewsAnnexOnline 