The federal government has deployed six hi-tech hilux patrol vehicles to safeguard the rail tracks in Abuja-Kaduna corridor.
This followed the recent bombing of the rail tracks which caused a lot of damage to the infrastructure.
The vehicles which are fitted with radar were handed over to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) for monitoring of the tracks on Thursday.
Transportation Minister, Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, during the ceremony said the acquisition of the vehicles was in view of the security situation in the country.
He explained that the vehicles should be used by the NRC and the Police in monitoring the areas where the rail tracks are for protection.
Amaechi who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Mrs. Magdalene Ajani said, “The security apparatus we have for most of the rail track has a number of components into it. we have the local people that are patrolling, the civil defence, the police corp of the Nigerian Railway Corporation and we have locations where stations are, where we need the security men to be able to move from one location to the other in addition to the fact that we are also looking at surveillance applications and fibre optic equipment too but for the movement of the security, we need these vehicles.”
He further explained that the vehicles are just simply to aid the security agents for easy movement.
He added, “If there is an emergency call, they will be able to move from point A to B and it may not necessarily be along the rail track. It is part of the things that they need to do to keep the place safe.
“The sensors are the accostic and fibre optic equipment we are talking about. Those ones are still in the procurement process, we have gotten approval from NITDA which is one of the requisitions because they are tech-based equipment and when the procurement process is concluded, they will be installed”.
The Managing Director, NRC, Mr. Fidet Okhiria said the provision of the patrol vehicles was a demonstration of the readiness of the federal government to address the security challenges in the country.
Okhiria said the vehicles will help the security personnel in movement to the areas where the tracks are for protection.