The tide has changed for train free riders who had been on the habit of sitting atop a moving train as the federal government has slammed a N100,000 fine for defaulters.
Mr. Jerry Oche, the Lagos District Manager, Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), said the fine was not meant to generate revenue but to discourage people from riding at the roof top of the train.
According to him, miscreants had formed the habit of riding on roof top of train and causing mayhem on innocent passengers, making train ride insecure.
Already, about 36 persons were charged to court on Wednesday, Nov. 9, out of the 105 suspected roof top riders arrested recently.
The district manager said that the suspects were made to pay N25,000 fine which the NRC would later increase to N50,000 and N100,000 to deter them from such illegal act.
He added that “the fine is just a way to discourage people from riding at the roof top of the train.
“We have charged 36 out of over 100 suspects to court recently and the clampdown will continue.”
Oche explained that the hoodlums were arrested by a combined team of Railway Police, the Lagos State Police Command, the NRC Task Force and Man-O-War personnel.
According to him, the miscreants have constituted a nuisance to the corporation’s mass transit shuttle service in Lagos and Ogun states, causing harm and injuries to innocent passengers.
The manager said that the raids would continue and the corporation would increase its police posts and security personnel to ensure the safety of passengers and NRC personnel on the trains.
He added that the safety and security of passengers was paramount to the corporation.
Hoodlums caused mayhem at the Agege station on Nov. 1 and the development led to reprisal attacks from the people, which affected the operations of the corporation.
