The Nigerian Railway Corporation
(NRC) on Thursday arrested a gospel preacher and some other passengers for
boarding its Lagos/Ogun bound passenger train without tickets. A
correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who was aboard the train
reports that the preacher was arrested with others at Agbado Train Station in
Ogun.
The
preacher, a light complexioned man and others were arrested by the taskforce
assigned to ensure law and order and arrest passengers and preachers in the
train who did not have tickets.
NAN
reports that the preacher, who joins the train at Itoki, also in Ogun, always
stayed in the first coach where he preached loudly, a development the
passengers said was disturbing. Passengers
in the train had in the past lodged complaints to the management of the
corporation against the man whom they accused of disturbing them with his
preaching.
The
head of the taskforce, who pleaded anonymity, told NAN that one of the rules
binding every passenger in the train says: “No Preaching’’ and “No Passenger
without Ticket’’ on train.
“So,
the preacher and the other arrested passengers will be charged to court for
boarding the train without tickets,’’ he said.
He
said the penalty for any offence carried N25,000 fine or three months
imprisonment. Asked
why the preacher has not been arrested until Thursday, the official said that
he must have been “intimidating’’ the ticket checkers with his preaching.
The
official who did not disclose the number of passengers arrested, said they
would appear in court next week. A
top official in the corporation, who also demanded anonymity, told NAN that
hawking, alms begging and noise making were other offences people should not
commit in train.
NAN,
however, reports that the rules or laws were not always enforced by the
management of the corporation. (NAN)
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PLEASE BE POLITE