Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has said that “over 60 people and more” were killed in Monday’s Abuja-Kaduna train tragedy.

On Monday, bandits had attacked a Kaduna-bound train a few kilometres to the Rigasa Train Station in the Igabi Local Government Area of the state, bombing the train track with an improvised explosive device (IED) and halting the train before sporadically firing gunshots at passengers.

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Reacting on Tuesday, Tinubu, who is celebrating his 70th birthday, cancelled what would have been his 13th birthday colloquium, to honour victims of the tragedy.

Making the announcement at Eko Hotels in Lagos, the venue of the event themed ‘Pivoting Nigeria Into The New Order’, he said he had not been paying attention to the news due to the back and forth and was just informed of the very sad incident.

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“It is very sad indeed that over 60 people and many more were killed and bombed on the train between Kaduna and Abuja just last night. That is a very serious incident,” he said.

“This is a very serious incident about the security of lives in this country and it calls for a very serious sober reflection. For me to be here celebrating, dancing and enjoying myself doesn’t show enough concern as a statesman and a senior citizen of this country.

“This event should not be holding. I have consulted with the people you see around me here and they’ve agreed with me and being a very highly committed democrat, I have given myself to their suggestion that they agreed that this event be cancelled.”

Dignitaries present at the celebration include Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor, Lagos State; Iyiola Omisore, the APC national secretary; and billionaire businessmen Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola.