Death wish riders: Why it has been difficult to stop illegal train passengers

Recently, a Lagos Mass Transit train rammed into a commercial bus parked along its right of way at Agege. Two of the people who sat on the train›s roof fell to their death while others sustained various degrees of injury. TOLA ADENUBI examines reasons the dangerous act of hanging on train or sitting on its roof has persisted.

The 6:30am and 8:00am trains leave Ijoko and Kajola terminuses in Ogun State for Lagos every Monday and run till Friday, carrying hundreds of passengers on board, both legal and illegal. Between Ijoko and Iddo in Lagos, there are 14 stations while the train plying the Kajola route must navigate 15 stations before getting to its destination at Iddo.

Due to the peculiar traffic chaos in Lagos, many commuters prefer to board the train to their respective workplaces either at Apapa or Victoria Island and other such places. However, many of the passengers for reasons best known to them often decide to ride on the trains for free by sitting on the roof.

The management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has, for some time now,  been making efforts to find a lasting solution to the problem of passengers beating the system to ride freely on the trains by sitting on the roof of the coaches. Sunday Tribune investigation revealed that the NRC management had enlisted the Nigeria Police in the efforts to end the menace, but not even the deployment of policemen could check the illegal passengers. Instead, cases of riding on the rooftop have continued to increase.

 Why rooftop riders prefer it

Initially the illegal passengers who have come to be known as ‘rooftop riders’ were often ignored because it was thought that they chose the roofs because the train cabins were overcrowded. That assumption has now been debunked. In fact, recent developments have shown that that rooftop ride was a deliberate choice of the passengers involved because they didn’t want to pay for the ride.

According to investigations by Sunday Tribune, even at the take-off stations at Ijoko or Kajola, the roof top riders could be seen already occupying the roof, while there are still many empty seats inside the trains. By the time the trains get to Agbado station, more of the illegal passengers would have joined several of their ilk on the roofs.

Alhaji Soyombo Aduni, a regular passenger on the trains, debunked the excuse of the illegal passengers that they ride on the roof due to lack of space inside the coaches.

“From Ijoko or Kajola down to Agbado, the trains are not fully occupied, and so the rooftop riders cannot base their argument on congestion inside the trains.  The early morning trains are scantily filled up. Between these train stations, there are still enough spaces for people to stand, even though the seating spaces may be fully filled.

“Yet, despite the fact that we still have spaces for people, some unscrupulous passengers go straight to the roof top of the trains, preferring to sit there. From Ijoko or Kajola to Agbado, the population of rooftop riders gradually increases.

“The situation gets messier at Agbado because of the peculiarity of the station. The Agbado station is a major station for the NRC, so the trains spend more time waiting for passengers there than at other stations. Because the train spends more time at the Agbado station, more people board the trains there, thereby congesting the inside of the trains. Just as we have more people (legal passengers) boarding the trains at the Agbado station, it’s the same way many rooftop riders move to the top of the trains. From the Agbado the rooftop riders increase much more in number,” he explained.

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‘We need ventilation’

But some of these “illegal occupiers” of the coaches’ roofs told Sunday Tribune that it was not because of their unwillingness to pay for tickets that they opted for the roofs. Many of them claimed they preferred their favourite spot it offered them fresh air. They argued further that from Agbado, the coaches would have become congested and uncomfortable, leaving little room for cross ventilation.

According to one of them who spoke on the condition of anonymity: “The ventilation on top of the trains is out of this world. At top speed, the ventilation is unimaginable. Instead of getting choked inside the trains due to the heavy congestion of human bodies, I prefer to go and sit on top of the moving trains.”

But another young man confessed to Sunday Tribune that he chose the roof because he could not pay for a ride he considered inconvenient.

“Why should I pay for a train ride when the government has failed to provide jobs for us young school leavers? I prefer to sit on the trains to avoid being asked for my payment ticket,” he said.

Terminal point of illegal ride

From Ijoko to Iju to Agege train station, the illegal passengers often keep increasing in number but at Iju they become more vigilant looking out for policemen who often carry out raids sanctioned by the NRC to get them off the rooftops.  From Agege the train moves to Ikeja, then to Sogunle and Oshodi from where they disembark from the rooftop. However, sometimes, some of them still remain on the trains at Oshodi.

From the Oshodi the train moves to Mushin where all of them come down because the next station which is Yaba, is beside a military formation and the headquarters of the Lagos District of the NRC. Apparently the rooftop riders feared the likely consequences for their actions, so they disembarked from the train. By this time no rooftop rider remains as the train moves to the EBJ station and then to Oyingbo, before finally stopping at Iddo terminus.

Further investigations revealed that just as the rooftop riders often finally disembark at the Mushin, they also get back on the trains on its return trip from the Iddo terminus back to Ijoko in Ogun State.

Right of way

In Lagos, it is not just the train roof riders that are endangered. There are other layers of people whose daring activities on the railway or rail track have sent to their early graves. These are those who encroach on the trains’ right of way.

From trading activities to haulage trucks, to commercial buses, and even private cars, many road users in the rush to achieve their aim consciously and otherwise encroach on the trains’ right of way, thereby getting involved in fatal or near-fatal accidents.

“When the object of encroachment is the haulage trucks or commercial buses, the rooftop riders, mostly, pay with their lives,” a staff member in the Nigerian Railway Corporation, who was not authorised to speak, told Sunday Tribune.

Continuing, the staff member said: “Because they are hanging on the trains engine or roofs, the impact of the collision flings many of them away to their death, just like what happened at the Agege train station recently when a commercial bus encroached on the trains’ right of way.

“At top speed, the impact is devastating, resulting in the crushing of the object of encroachment, and also throwing many roof top riders off balance, thereby making many to fall over and die or get severely injured. In the case of trading on the trains’ right of way, woe betides whoever remains on the train track when a train approaches.”

Persistent raid

The Regional District Manager for Lagos headquarters, Mr Jerry Oche, in an interview with Sunday Tribune said the NRC had not given up on restoring sanity on the rail lines and had kept up constant raids to keep the illegal passengers away.

Oche, an engineer, said: “We carry out raids unannounced. Many of our workers don’t even know when we will be carrying out these raids because it has security implications.  Our raids on the rooftop riders have succeeded in discouraging many, but of cause we still have the bad elements who will never listen to regulation or caution, and we won’t stop carrying out raids on them. Many have been prosecuted and jailed.

“Just like we carry out raids on roof top riders, we also do the same for traders who encroach on the trains’ right of way. It is only people on suicide mission and don’t value their lives that will sit on the trains or trade on the trains’ right of way. We sill carried out a raid last week. We normally don’t inform people when we will do the raids because some of these rooftop riders usually attack our officials if they get to know of raids,” Oche told Sunday Tribune.

Why nothing has changed

For many train users, the NRC police-backed raids, to some extent, have failed to deter the rooftop riders.

In the words of one of the commuters, “The NRC needs to carry out raids in areas where the roof top riders least expect an onslaught, like the Agbado train station, where the menace usually peaks. The train spends more time in Agbado; that time could be used for sanitising the trains. Such raids should be focused on Agbado, Iju and Agege train stations.”

Despite NRC’s effort some people do not endorse the situation whereby arrested roof top riders are let off the hook after meeting with the specified bail conditions.

“The NRC charges bail condition of N25,000 as fine for those arrested. Many are encouraged because they know that if arrested, their parents or guardians would look for money to bail them. Some children are naturally like that. But if the NRC removes the option of bail, prosecute them and send many to prison terms, this dastardly act will be wiped out.

“It is because many, after being arrested, find their way out of police cells and return to the train rooftops, that is why the menace has persisted,” Ngozi Obasi, a frequent train user stated in an interview with Sunday Tribune.

As the case may be, whether there would continue to be fatal accidents on the rail lines would depend solely on the NRC’s willpower to continue with enforcing the law banning the rooftop riders no matter how long it takes, even if the culprits keep coming back after being caught; and if the fines do not work maybe stiffer penalties would do.