The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has published its preliminary findings on the Abuja–Kaduna train derailment that occurred on August 26, 2025, at Asham Station, confirming that 21 passengers sustained injuries but no lives were lost.
The train, a locomotive with registration CDD5c2 2701, had departed Idu Station in Abuja at 9:45 am en route to Rigasa, Kaduna, carrying 618 people, including Nigerian Railway Corporation crew, security personnel, and service staff.
“At approximately 11:09 h, shortly after passing a manually operated switch point at Asham Station, the forward locomotive and adjoining coaches derailed and overturned. Twenty-one passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries, while no fatalities were recorded,” the NSIB stated.
The agency confirmed that initial findings and recommendations have been published in its preliminary report, which is now available for download on the NSIB website.
The NSIB emphasised that while the preliminary report provides an overview of the incident, ongoing investigations will inform the final document with more comprehensive safety recommendations aimed at preventing similar accidents in the future.
On August 26, 2025, a train operating on the Abuja-Kaduna service registered as AK1 with eight coaches and two locomotives had derailed at Asham station.
In its preliminary findings, in-house investigation, and statements to the public, the NRC had attributed the derailment primarily to human error, specifically “excessive speeding” and “misapplication of the emergency braking system.”
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the corporation confirmed that its engineers had re-railed and recovered all coaches and locomotives affected by the incident.
The assets were subsequently transferred to designated workshops for assessment and further technical work.
According to the statement, engineers had commenced a comprehensive safety and infrastructure assessment to ensure the corridor met the highest standards of durability and reliability before services resumed.
This phase, it added, included a thorough evaluation of the repaired section and other critical infrastructure along the route.
The NRC emphasised in the statement that services would not restart until all safety procedures were cleared.
