The Nigerian Railway Corporation has released preliminary findings into the train derailment at Warri-Itakpe that occurred on June 8, 2026, which killed four people and injured 64 others, even as the independent investigation by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau remains ongoing.
This was contained in a report made available to pressmen on Monday. The NRC said its internal inquiry identified a possible sudden bogie or wheel defect that may have developed while the train was en route, “potentially causing abnormal wheel-rail interaction, excessive impact loading and loss of running stability.”
The report, however, stressed that the finding remains a working hypothesis pending the outcome of the NSIB investigation. The corporation further said, “The definitive cause or causes of the accident will be determined through comprehensive analysis and will be set out in the final report.”
The internal inquiry also identified the possible manner of brake application as a factor that may have contributed to the severity of the derailment, but the NRC cautioned that this, too, had not been established as a definitive cause.
The accident occurred after the train departed Itakpe at noon with 482 people on board, 442 passengers and 40 operational personnel. Five coaches, a locomotive and a power car derailed. Three coaches and the power car overturned, while the remaining derailed rolling stock stayed upright.
