Lawmakers allegedly found that ticket racketeering is done by operators of the Abuja and Kaduna railway stations.
Legislators in the House of Representatives are set to investigate alleged railway ticket racketeering after Nairametrics uncovered the menace in a special report in March.
The House of Representatives resolved to do this after they allegedly found that ticket racketeering activities were being carried out by operators of the Abuja and Kaduna railway stations.
What lawmakers are saying about racketeering
Zayyad Ibrahim of APC from Kaduna at the plenary, on Tuesday, said:
“The e-Ticketing System for the Abuja-Kaduna train services enabled commuters to book tickets online, thus curbing ticket racketeering and the stress of purchasing tickets at the train stations.
“[We are] concerned that ticket racketeering, which the e-Ticketing System sought to eradicate, is still going on unabated, as tickets can no longer be adequately accessed online due to the mischievous activities of some people, who buy wholesale tickets and resell to passengers at exorbitant prices.
“Taking cognizance of the fact that if the activities of racketeers are not curbed, passengers will continue to be denied the privilege of accessing the train services as, sometimes, a train may leave the station without carrying the required number of passengers, because the tickets are not accessible or affordable to the majority of passengers.”
The House urged the management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to strengthen their internal mechanisms with a view to eradicating ticket racketeering.
In his ruling, the Speaker of the House, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, mandated the Committee on Land Transport to investigate the matter and report back within two weeks for further legislative action.
