Suspected bandits attack Nigeria passenger train

Suspected bandits have attacked a passenger train headed to the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna from Abuja, the capital after they trapped the train, the Kaduna state government said.

One passenger, Anas Iro Danmusa, posted on Facebook that bandits planted explosives that halted the train on Monday. 

He said bandits were trying to force themselves inside the train and gun shots were being fired outside the train.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and no casualties have been confirmed.

"The military has secured the Kaduna-bound train from Abuja trapped by terrorists," a spokesperson for the Kaduna state government said. 

"Efforts are ongoing to convey the passengers from the location and others who sustained injuries have been rushed to hospitals for urgent medical attention."

READ MORE: Gunmen kill dozens in northwest Nigeria

Militant insurgency

The train was stopped about 25 kilometres from Kaduna when the attack happened, an official of the Nigerian Railways Corp (NRC) said, adding that a family relative was also trapped on the Kaduna-bound service.

It is the second train attack since October in Nigeria, which faces a militants insurgency and armed bandits that have kidnapped hundreds of students, travellers and villagers for ransom, leaving the population terrified.

Some people have opted to travel by rail after several kidnappings by armed bandits on Nigerian highways, especially in the northwest of the country.

READ MORE: Bandits raid Nigeria's Niger state, killing and abducting villagers