Passengers Stranded As Lagos-Ibadan Train ‘Runs Out Of Diesel’ Mid-Journey [Video]

Some passengers who boarded a Lagos-Ibadan train were left stranded after it ran out of diesel and stopped abruptly mid-journey.

Passengers Stranded On Lagos-Ibadan Train

A Twitter user, King Isaiah Obadore, who was reportedly in the train on Thursday, said they were stuck in the forest with Chinese men because the train had exhausted diesel.

Obadore wrote, “Boarded Train from Ibadan to Lagos. We’re still stuck in the forest with unknown Chinese Men. They said fuel finished. What a beautiful country, Nigeria.”

Boarded Train from Ibadan to Lagos. We're still stuck in the forest with unknown Chinese Men.
They said fuel finished.

What a beautiful country, Nigeria.#Train #NigerianRailwayStation. pic.twitter.com/JjI3S8SiEo

— Ọba Aisaya🇳🇬 (@isaiahobadare) March 10, 2022

Speaking with Tribune Online, a passenger onboard the train explained that many passengers were initially gripped by fear when the train suddenly stopped working.

The said, “We had left Ibadan for Lagos in the morning and were hoping to get to Lagos before 10 am, only for the train to stop in the middle of nowhere.

“When the train refused to restart after ten minutes, most of us (passengers) became jittery. We had heard of news of unknown person’s attacking the Lagos-Ibadan trains in recent times by removing some of the track components. So, many of us initially thought we were under attack.

“After about 45 minutes, the NRC officials onboard the trains told some of us that it wasn’t a case of attack but that the train stopped due to shortage of diesel. We waited for close to an hour before diesel was brought in from one of the NRC stations nearby.

“It wasn’t a funny experience as many of us (passengers) were apprehensive due to stories of attacks on the Lagos-Ibadan and Kaduna-Abuja standard gauge trains.

“After we got diesel, the train continued its journey to Lagos from Ibadan.”

Confirming the development, the Lagos District Manager of the NRC, Engineer Jerry Oche explained that the train stopped due to shortage of diesel.

“The standard gauge train from Ibadan to Lagos had fuel shortage this morning, but the situation was immediately resolved and the train continued its journey to Lagos,” Jerry Oche said.

Also speaking, a staff of the NRC revealed that due to scarcity of fuel in recent days, the standard gauge trains have not been getting adequate fuel supply.

“We have not been getting adequate fuel supply in recent days due to the scarcity of fuel in the country. Sometimes, we leave for Lagos or Ibadan with insufficient fuel supply with the hope of getting a refill along the way.

“What happened this morning (Thursday morning) was not envisaged because the driver failed in estimating the amount of available diesel in the locomotive tank before departure from Ibadan.

“It was just unfortunate that the train stopped in the middle of nowhere due to diesel shortage. Since the fuel shortage issue started in Nigeria, we have been running our Lagos-Ibadan trips with insufficient fuel and have had to make do with refill along our trips most times,” the NRC staff said.

A video circulating on social media shows some passenger standing on the train tracks waiting for a solution, while others were seen hanging around the train commenting about the situation.

Watch the video below:

TRENDING VIDEO: Lagos-Ibadan train stops abruptly after allegedly running out of diesel pic.twitter.com/nzsmB7mlVq

— TheCable (@thecableng) March 10, 2022

This comes barely 24 hours after Nigerian airlines announced that their flight operations may be disrupted due to the prolonged scarcity of aviation fuel in the country.