365NEWS gathered that train passengers from Delta State were stranded for hours on Wednesday after the train travelling through Kogi State broke down in a forest.
Kola Edokpayi, who was among the stranded passengers, took to Facebook on Wednesday to explain the ordeal.
According to him, he had opted to travel by train from Agbor, Delta State to Itakpe, Kogi State after being unable to secure a flight to Abuja.
However, the journey took a dramatic turn when the train developed technical issues in a location he described as an “evil forest,” devoid of mobile network coverage and surrounded by cattle herders.
His caption read, “I couldn’t get a flight to Abuja today, I decided to board a train from Agbor to Itakpe, Kogi State en route Abuja.
“On getting to an evil forest without network in Kogi, the train developed technical issues that couldn’t be fixed immediately.
“Passengers became apprehensive while stranded in the forest dominated by Fulani herders and their cows.”
As panic grew among passengers, Edokpayi said many opted to begin an “endurance trek” through the forest in a desperate bid to reach a nearby town or train station.
The trek reportedly lasted for over three hours, with elderly passengers struggling and some near collapse.
“We decided to embark upon an endurance trek to quickly get to town. We trekked for more than three hours and are still trekking to the train station.
“What interests me is that all the Fulani herders in the forest we encountered were so friendly and they assisted us while we were navigating the evil forest,” he said.
In a follow-up post on Thursday after arriving in Abuja, Edokpayi described the experience as “terrible and horrific.”
He likened the journey to a biblical test of faith, quoting Psalm 23:4 to describe how he found comfort while trekking through what he called “the valley of the shadow of death.”
He wrote, “Thank God for safe arrival in Abuja this morning. It was a terrible and horrific experience in the wilderness.
“While embarking upon the unsolicited endurance trek, I took solace in the book of Psalm 23:4, which says ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’”
He narrated how they got exhausted from trekking and how an elderly man almost died in the forest.
Edokpayi wrote, “Having trekked for hours, I became sinewless with no water to drink to resuscitate myself, we kept on trekking in the forest until we saw bike riders coming with bikes, they told us point-blank that they wanted to go and rescue their co-workers who were also stranded in the forest.
“An old man who trekked with us for about 30 minutes almost died, we had to assist him to be alive. Thank God that he is alive to share the testimony of what God did for him and other travellers.”
Eventually, the group encountered motorcyclists and rescue vehicles heading toward the stranded train.
With the last of their strength, Edokpayi said, passengers rushed to board the vehicles and were taken to safety.
He wrote, “The genuine Fulani cattle herders in the forest were very friendly. We give thanks to God that at the time of the unsolicited endurance trek in the forest, the terroristic bandits were in deep slumber.
“We trekked to almost where there was a hill before we sighted vehicles coming to pick up passengers. At that point, we started rushing into the vehicles with the last strength. Thank God that we all arrived at our various destinations safely.”
While grateful for the safe outcome, the man criticised the state of Nigeria’s transport infrastructure, warning that the incident could have ended in tragedy.
He wrote, “The Federal Government needs to be proactive enough to ensure that the trains are in a better state for the safety of passengers.
“Airline operators go dey cancel flight anyhow, we fear kidnappers for road wey still bad. Train dey spoil for evil forest dominated by herders.
“Make God continue to help us ooo in Bongo. Welcome to Bongo, the heartbeat of abracadabra.
“I don kawalelogran for train oooo until government address the issue. The fear of train for me is the beginning of wisdom.”
Watch Video Below:
𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: '𝐖𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡,' 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐨𝐠𝐢 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭
"On getting to an evil forest without network in Kogi, the train developed technical issues… pic.twitter.com/b7yF0D36xw
— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) April 10, 2025
