The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has taken swift action to suspend some of its staff who were caught on camera engaging in a ticket fraud scheme on the Lagos – Ibadan Train Service (LITS). The video, which was recorded and posted by a lady on her X page, showed how the railway staff were negotiating with passengers to pay without obtaining official boarding tickets. The video has gone viral on various social media platforms and has sparked outrage among the public and the railway authorities.
The NRC said in a statement Signed by the Deputy Director, Public Relations, Yakub Mahmood, that it “seriously condemn such act of misconduct which is a flagrant disobedience to laid down rules and utter betrayal of the confidence reposed on such workers, especially at this time that the Federal Government is making all efforts at revitalising and modernising the Corporation.”
The statement also said that the identified erring officers have been placed on immediate suspension pending the outcome of an in-depth investigation by a management committee. The NRC assured the public that it will not tolerate any unwholesome attitude and image dent to the Corporation by any staff and that disciplinary proceedings will be taken against those involved or connected to the incident. You can see the NRC official statement here.
The NRC also advised its passengers to insist and demand for boarding tickets after making appropriate payment at the designated stations or book online. It added that the electronic ticketing system will be available on both the LITS and the Warri – Itakpe Train Service (WITS) by the end of October, 2023.
The lady who exposed the ticket fraud, who goes by the name of Dara on her X page, said that she was shocked and disgusted by what she witnessed on board the train. She said that she decided to record and share the video to raise awareness and demand accountability from the railway authorities. She also thanked the NRC for taking swift action and hoped that such practices will be eliminated in the future.
You can watch Dara’s video on her X page