The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Kayode Opeifa, has accepted full responsibility for Tuesday’s derailment of the Abuja-Kaduna train.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, Opeifa apologised to Nigerians, stressing that the incident would be thoroughly investigated.

“Beyond apologising to Nigeria, I want to say as the Managing Director and Chief Executive, I take full responsibility. And in the case of safety, there is no indifference. Once it happens, the Chief Executive must take responsibility,” he said.

Opeifa assured that the corporation would work to prevent a recurrence, citing similar proactive measures taken on the Warri-Itakpe route, which was recently shut down for repairs.

He added that the derailment, though regrettable, was an opportunity to improve rail operations and safety standards.

The Abuja-Kaduna train derailed on Tuesday around 11 a.m., shortly after departing Abuja for Kaduna.