The remaining 23 kidnapped people from the Abuja-Kaduna train attack were freed by their abductors on Wednesday, the Nigerian military said.
The train was attacked on March 28.
The secretary of the Chief of Defence Staff Action Committee Prof. Usman Yusuf said the Chief of Defence Staff General Lucky Irabor,”secured the release and took custody of all the 23 remaining passengers held hostage by Boko Haram terrorists
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, said the entire nation owed the military and other sister security agencies a debt of gratitude for walking the talk, as he basked in the euphoria of the safe release of the remaining 23 kidnapped Abuja-Kaduna train passengers held in captivity by Boko Haram terrorists since March 28.
In a release by his spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, Buhari said the agencies had shown outstanding capabilities over the period that the whole world would not fail to take note of. He urged them to sustain the momentum.
The Defence Headquarters gave a sketchy insight into how the victims, currently in hospitals for medical examination and debriefing, were released and had since been kept in its custody.
There were indications that the recent arrest, in Cairo, Egypt, of Tukur Mamu, publisher of Desert Herald, and media aide to renowned Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmed Gumi, might have played a role in the successful operation to free the abductees.
The president said in the statement, “This country’s Armed Forces are as good as any. Given needed support and encouragement, as we have been doing, there is no task that they cannot accomplish. I commend them for this remarkable outcome.”
While expressing satisfaction with the successful deployment of both kinetic and non-kinetic processes, leading to the eventual safe release of the remaining hostages, Buhari also congratulated the families of the victims on having them back alive. He said the relief that came to the country from the closure of the kidnap saga must be sustained at all times, all over the federation.
The president also credited his government for resolving the train incident and for reduction in terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping, which had surged recently. He assured that the efforts would be sustained.
The traumatic experience of the remaining 23 victims lasted seven whole months after they were kidnapped in a Kaduna-bound train attacked by terrorists. Their freedom ended many sleepless nights of horror and torture in the hands of their merciless abductors.
In the attack, which occurred on March 28, at least eight persons were reportedly killed, with others either kidnapped or declared missing. The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) had put the total number of passengers onboard at 362 before the attack.
While the victims were released in batches after alleged payment of ransoms, the terrorists claimed a few of them were freed on compassionate grounds.
