As casualty figures begin to trickle in, reports say a former Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, Ibrahim Wakkala, was among the victims who sustained gunshot wounds in Monday’s terrorist attack on a Kaduna-bound train.

The train conveying hundreds of passengers from Abuja to Kaduna was attacked by gunmen suspected to be bandits between Katari and Rijana in Kaduna State.

An aide to the former Deputy Governor told journalists that Mr Wakkala, who was returning from the APC National Convention, which held on Saturday was shot during the cross fire between the terrorists and the military.

He disclosed that the victim has been moved to a military hospital in Kaduna for treatment.

The spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State, Yusuf Idris also confirmed the incident, saying that the former Deputy Governor was initially abducted by the terrorists during the attack and was successfully rescued by the combined forces of Department of State Services (DSS) and the military.

Meanwhile, following the Monday evening attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has suspended train operations along the route.

In a message posted on its booking website and social media handles in the early hours of Tuesday, the NRC said it was suspending the service for the safety of travellers.

The corporation, however, said it was working to restore the service and would inform the public when the train will start running again.

Recall that terrorists on Monday night bombed and successfully immobilised the 970 passenger-filled Abuja-Kaduna train.

It was gathered that the terrorists planted explosives on the rail tracks and bombed the train just before Rijana, a community along the rail line in Kaduna notorious for kidnapping and other security breaches.

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