Just four days after resuming operations on the Warri-Itakpe train route, the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced the derailment on the route and all passengers were safely evacuated without casualties or injuries.
The incident occurred at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at Kilometre 212+8m, Agbor, involving two out of seven coaches. According to NRC Managing Director, Kayode Opeifa, preliminary investigations point to suspected track vandalism as the cause of the derailment.
He stated that recovery operations began immediately with the support of security personnel. Opeifa explained that while the recovery efforts are progressing steadily, train services along the corridor have been temporarily suspended as a safety measure to allow for a full security and infrastructure audit.
The Warri-Itakpe route, spanning about 350km, had only resumed service after months of suspension following earlier technical breakdowns and safety concerns. This latest derailment adds to Nigeria’s growing record of rail-related incidents, with data from the National Bureau of Statistics showing over 188 cases between 2020 and 2025, many linked to vandalism and organized criminal activities targeting rail infrastructure.
