The management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) on Wednesday issued a warning to police, military and para-military personnel against boarding its Ogun/Lagos Mass Transit Train (MTTS) without tickets.

Mr. Jerry Oche, Lagos Railway District Manager, gave the warning in Lagos during a chat with newsmen.

He said nobody was exempted from purchasing a ticket to board the train: “The management is not under any obligation or agreement with uniformed men or organisations not to pay for their ride.

“It is a grievous offence for anyone to board the train without paying. There is no law in the country, which stipulates that anyone should board the train without ticket either in uniform or not.

“It has come to the notice of the management that many passengers, including uniformed men, usually board the train without ticket.

“The management wishes to say that boarding the train without ticket has no exception and is a serious offence for defaulters regardless of status.

“If one is caught without a ticket, he pays double the fare inside the train. But if the passenger refuses and is taken to the police station, he pays N25,000 fine and because the police can’t keep him beyond 24 hours, he will be taken to court.

“I have also noticed it on few occasions that I was in the train that uniformed men don’t buy tickets and I forced them to pay and they paid.”

Oche noted that the NRC had also noticed that some checkers on trains did not demand for tickets from uniformed men aboard.

He stressed that the checkers were duty-bound to check and call for the arrest of any passenger without a ticket. (Independent)

•Photo shows one of the new-look NRC trains.