The Minister of Transportation, Senator Sa’idu Ahmed Alkali has directed the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to investigate the allegations of ticket racketeering on the Abuja-Kaduna train service (AKTS).
Alkali gave the directive to the NRC to carry out the investigation through a post he shared on his official X account on Sunday morning.
“Following numerous passenger complaints regarding challenges in purchasing tickets, I have instructed the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to set up an investigation committee and resolve the alleged negligence leading to these problems on the Abuja-Kaduna route with a focus on holding those responsible accountable,” the minister said.
“This committee will be tasked with conducting a detailed review of the ticket purchasing process, identifying any areas of neglect or mismanagement and implementing necessary corrective measures.”
The NRC deputy director of public relations, Yakub Mahmood in a statement on Saturday said some officials have been exploiting the challenges passengers face with the online booking platform to engage in illicit activities.
Mahmood in the statement urged passengers to be patient as the NRC is working to address the problem.
“Information has reached the management of the NRC on difficulties of passengers in obtaining tickets online resulting in ticket racketeering on the Abuja-Kaduna Train Service (AKTS) in recent times,” Mahmood said.
“To address the ugly situation, the management has set up a team headed by the deputy director of ICT to investigate.”
The NRC made the announcement following an investigation by TheCable which revealed that the corporation’s officials were involved in ticket racketeering on the Lagos-Ibadan train.
The Federal Government launched an online ticketing platform for the Abuja-Kaduna train service in January 2021.
The FG said it launched the platform in a bid to minimise physical contact between passengers and the staff of the corporation.
In November 2023, the corporation also launched an electronic ticketing platform for the Lagos-Ibadan and Itakpe-Warri train services.
