Nigeria on Monday reopened a railway line linking the capital Abuja to a major city in the northwest, eight months after one of the most resounding attacks this year in Africa's most populous country.
At the end of March, armed men blew up a portion of this railway line with a bomb and then stormed the train linking Abuja to Kaduna, capital of the state of the same name where criminal gangs are rampant, kidnapping dozens of passengers.
In the months that followed, the kidnappers released the hostages in waves in exchange for large ransoms paid by the families. The last 23 hostages were released in October.
According to an AFP journalist present at Abuja station on Monday, the first train - filled only to a third of its capacity - left the capital around 10:00 a.m. (0900 GMT) for a two-hour journey to Kaduna.
Most of the passengers, few in number, expressed their joy tinged with some concern about the insecurity.
"I was just waiting for this line to resume, so I'm very happy to be here," said university professor Ganiyat Adesina.
"I saw soldiers with two tanks and other vehicles. Five of them were patrolling. I thought to myself that this is exactly what I expect from the government," she added.
Ayodeji Othman, a 30-year-old passenger, agrees: "We've been waiting for this for so long."
"I haven't been to Kaduna since the attack due to road conditions and problems, kidnappings and all that," Othman insisted.
The north-west and central Nigeria are the scene of armed gangs, locally called "bandits", who loot, kidnap and kill dozens of inhabitants every week.
Police said they have deployed personnel to provide protection for passengers.
The development of rail transport was among President Muhammadu Buhari's key measures when he was first elected in 2015. Seven years and two terms later, the March attack on this train dealt a symbolic blow to his record and served as a reminder of how insecurity has increased in the country.
In addition to the "bandits", Nigeria is struggling to deal with jihadists from the northeast and separatist militants from the southeast.
In February 2023, Nigerians will elect a successor to Mr Buhari (who is barred from running by the Constitution) with two major issues in mind: insecurity and the economy