Bandits terrorism: Amaechi laments FG loses over N3bn national asset

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, during an assessment visitation of the crime scene of the attack on Kaduna bound train from Abuja, lamented that the Nigerian government has lost over N3 billion to the bandits’ attacks. The decried that the destruction done to the country’s national assets on the Abuja-Kaduna rail corridor by bandits will cost the government over N3 billion to restore.

Amaechi maintained that the unfortunate event could have been avoided if a N3 billion digital security equipment had been acquired.

The minister had declared: “We knew what the problem would be. We knew we needed to have digital security equipment. We applied for it.

“Because if we had that equipment, you would 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.”