Nigeria, June 9 -- On the evening of 28th March 2022, while I had briefly stepped out of the office, I received a call from His Royal Highness, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli (CFR), Emir of Zazzau. He had received information that something appeared to be wrong with a train on the Kaduna-Abuja railway corridor.

At the time, the details were sketchy. Yet, the concern in his voice was enough for me to immediately return to the office and begin making contacts. As events unfolded, the information proved well-founded. That night would become one of the most difficult in Kaduna State's recent history.

More than three years later, I still recall that conversation. Not because it was the first time His Royal Highness drew attention to an emergi...