Remi Sonaiya Raises Safety Concerns over People Sleeping on Lagos-Ibadan Rail Tracks

Remi Sonaiya, the former presidential candidate, has raised concerns over safety on the Lagos–Ibadan rail corridor after witnessing people sleeping on sections of the tracks at Agege station in Lagos.

Sonaiya shared the experience on her social media page on Thursday, noting that she was taking the train to Ibadan for the first time when she noticed the encroachment.

“I’m taking the train to Ibadan for the first time, boarding at Agege. My excitement was greatly dampened by the sight that greeted passengers as we approached the train — people sleeping on some of the tracks,” she wrote.

She claimed that officials of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) told passengers they were unable to get the individuals to vacate the tracks.

Her comments have drawn attention to ongoing safety and infrastructure concerns along the Lagos–Ibadan standard gauge line, a major rail project aimed at improving inter-city transport.

In November 2025, NRC reported a vandalism case on the track’s corridor between Agege and Agbado stations.

The corporation said some unknown persons had tampered with vital signalling components along the corridor.

“The vandalized items include the removal of signal machine cap protectors and the cutting of connection cables on Switch Point Machine No. 2. The damage was discovered during a routine inspection on Monday, 6th October 2025,” NRC wrote in a statement.

Sonaiya’s comment comes amid recent reports of vandalism and encroachment on rail infrastructure in Ibadan, Oyo state capital .

The NRC had earlier raised the alarm over the destruction of rail assets within Ibadan south-west local government area.

The corporation accused Kehinde Amanda, chairman of the LGA, of leading the destruction of railway assets in the Mile One/Odo Ona axis.

The NRC has repeatedly appealed to the public to protect rail facilities and adhere to safety regulations to avoid accidents and service disruptions.