A faulty wheel or bogie may have sent the Warri-Itakpe train crashing off the tracks in Delta State, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has revealed.
The corporation said a sudden defect in the train’s wheel or bogie system was identified as a possible primary factor in the June 8, 2026 derailment that killed four people and injured 64 others.
However, the NRC cautioned that the finding is only a preliminary working theory, with the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) still conducting an independent investigation to establish the definitive cause of the disaster.
The train derailed at about 4:17pm around kilometre 177, while approaching the Outer Home signal of the Goodluck Jonathan Railway Station at Owa-Oyibu, near Agbor, Delta State.
It had left Itakpe at noon with 482 people on board — 442 passengers and 40 operational personnel.
The accident affected five coaches, one locomotive and a power car. Three coaches and the power car overturned, while the other derailed coaches and rolling stock remained upright.
‘Wheel defect could have destabilised train’
According to the NRC’s preliminary assessment, a wheel or bogie defect that suddenly developed while the train was in motion could have produced abnormal contact between the wheels and rails, increased impact forces and ultimately caused the train to lose stability.
The corporation also pointed to the possible manner in which the brakes were applied as another factor that may have worsened the severity of the derailment.
But the NRC stressed that neither the suspected wheel defect nor the brake application should be treated as a final conclusion until the ongoing investigation is completed.
No track vandalism found
In a development that could narrow the investigation, the NRC said its team found no evidence of track vandalism at the accident scene.
The railway points were reportedly found intact.
The finding is significant because the same Warri-Itakpe service suffered two derailments on November 1 and November 8, 2025, with those incidents attributed to track vandalism.
The NRC’s internal investigation involved site inspections, examination of the affected rolling stock and railway infrastructure, review of operational and maintenance records, and interviews with crew members, staff and emergency responders.
Four dead, 64 injured
The corporation also cleared up confusion over the casualty figure.
While an earlier update had put the death toll at five, subsequent verification with the Delta State medical team confirmed that four people — three adults and a child — died.
A total of 64 people were injured, suffering injuries ranging from bruises and deep cuts to blunt-force trauma, musculoskeletal injuries and lumbar and maxillofacial injuries.
Twenty-eight injured passengers were treated and discharged at the Railway Hospital in Owa-Oyibu, while another 36 were taken to hospitals in Owa-Oyibu, Owa-Alero and Agbor.
Most of those admitted were discharged within 72 hours. Three people remained under specialist care, while two injured victims underwent surgery, including an NRC worker who required surgical intervention.
Despite the scale of the crash, the NRC said the passengers were evacuated within about two hours, following a coordinated response involving the Delta State Government, police, Federal Road Safety Corps, National Emergency Management Agency, local authorities and medical teams.
NSIB probe continues
The NSIB moved to the scene shortly after the accident and said investigators recovered critical evidence, examined the damaged railway equipment and infrastructure, reviewed operational and maintenance records and interviewed relevant personnel.
The NRC said it was cooperating fully with the independent investigation and would be guided by the NSIB’s eventual findings and recommendations.
The corporation’s preliminary review has also recommended stronger inspection and maintenance of rolling stock and infrastructure, timely replacement of defective components and tighter enforcement of operational safety procedures.
For now, the suspected wheel defect remains just that — a possible cause, not the final answer.
The NSIB’s report is expected to provide the definitive findings on what caused the train to leave the tracks.
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