The Department of State Services (DSS) has issued a security alert to the Nigeria Railway Corporation on a plot by bandits to attack the Abuja-Kaduna train link at any possible time.
In a memo signed by the Director of the DSS, FCT Command, R.N. Adepemu, the state police warned train passengers to be security conscious.
Chronicle NG reports that the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) announced the resumption of two extra train services on June 4, 2023, for Abuja-Kaduna after a terrorist attack on the train that occurred on March 28, 2022.
The letter was entitled, ‘Security Alert: Impending Threat By A Coalition Of Banditry Syndicate To Attack Abuja-Kaduna Train Service Along AKTS Corridor’.
The DSS advised that security measures should be heightened along the route while also putting some recommended measures in place.
The statement read, ”The intelligence report indicates an impending threat to seamless train transportation along the Abuja-Kaduna Train Service (AKTS).
“The development is a sequel to the plot by a coalition of bandit syndicates to attack the Abuja-Kaduna Train Service aimed at kidnapping passengers on board for ransom any moment from now.
”In view of the inherent threat and the need to forestall a likely breach of security along the AKTS, it is advised that existing security arrangements be scaled up within and along the route. In addition, the need for the under-listed counter-security measures to be implemented to nip the impending threats in the bud
i. Air surveillance patrol
ii. Surveillance on the rail track
iii. Military checkpoint or patrol
iv. Police checkpoint or patrol
v. A security raid operation be carried out around Byazhin, Jibi, and Ja forest.
vi. Enhance the Nigeria Police Mobile Force (NPMF) operatives with walkie-talkies to sustain escort services on trains;
vii. Deploy more Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) with walkie-talkies to provide escort duty; i.e., the contents of this correspondence are classified as follows: Unauthorized disclosure could lead to prosecution.
viii. A crisis response team be established in the event of an attack for quick response time and intelligence sharing amongst all relevant stakeholders.
“Although the aforementioned threat is yet to be in the public domain, the development is capable of heightening fears over the safety of lives and property amongst stakeholders and commuters of trail transportation along the AKTS corridor.
“Therefore, the need to discreetly manage this intelligence provided cannot be overemphasized.
“This is particularly against the backdrop of fatal attacks along the routes, which left casualties and victims; hence, some passengers were killed as well as others abducted for several months before their eventual release.”
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
