…we were thoroughly beaten, I pity those still in captivity – says freed victim
After 121 days in captivity, terrorists that abducted passengers of the Abuja-Kaduna train on March 28, have released another three victims in their custody.
This was coming barely 24 hours after the terrorists released a fresh video where they threatened to abduct the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari(retd), the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, senators, and other government officials, and make them sit on the grass (forest) the way those taken hostages were currently seated.
The terrorists had early June, released 11 out of the 61 victims of the abducted train passengers remaining 50 hostages, and with the release of another seven early July, 43 of the captives were still in the terrorists’ den.
Mallam Tukur Mamu, one of the negotiators and Media Consultant to controversial Islamic Cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, who disclosed this, said through his singular efforts on Sunday, that the released hostages were reunited with their families late Saturday evening.
The seven hostages reunited with their families are Bosede Olurotimi, Abubakar Zubairu, Alhassan Sule and Sadiq Ango Abdullahi, Muhammad Daiyabu Paki, Aliyu Usman as well as only foreign national of Pakistani origin, Dr. Muhammad Abuzar Afzal.
However, it was gathered that on Monday, at about 11 am, the terror group believed to be part of the Islamic State’s West Africa Province, released the three victims, which included two males and a female.
The families of the three released victims were silent on whether a ransom was paid or not before they were set free by the terrorists after spending 121 days in captivity.
But a security source confided in one of our correspondents in Kaduna on Monday that the released victims’ families paid N100m each for the release of their loved ones.
“What I can tell you now is that the bandits have freed three victims of the abducted passengers. Those three released by them (bandits) include two males and a female. Each of those released paid N100m,” he said.
With the release of the third batch of three victims, whose identities have not been declared, 40 victims are still in the custody of the terrorists, having earlier set free 18 victims.
On March 28, 2022, terrorists planted explosives devices along the rail track and when the Abuja-Kaduna bound AK-9 passenger train approached the point, the device exploded, causing the train to derail, leading to the death of eight passengers.
Meanwhile, one of the kidnapped victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack, Hassan Uthman has recounted his experience while in captivity, saying that he pitied those still being held because they were thoroughly beaten by the terrorists.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC HAUSA; Hassan Uthman thanked Almighty Allah for regaining freedom.
He said last Friday their relations attempted to rescue them but the government did not allow them to proceed on the journey.
He said the relations made a second attempt on Monday and were successful in rescuing 3 of them from captivity.
” The government has failed in providing security for life and property. It has failed to rescue us.”
” I don’t know whether ransom was paid to rescue us,” he said.
He recalled that they were initially, sleeping on the bare ground in the thick forest before they were provided with mats..
‘When the rain started; they erected makeshift shelters for us.They fed us according to their capacity .At times, they even slaughtered cattle and sheep for us. Even yesterday they slaughtered a cow and we ate; we thank Allah. “
” Because of the government’s attitude, they were angered and they thoroughly beat us.We were severely flogged and that was just the beginning. This makes me to pity those that are still with them in the forest,” he said.
He said he couldn’t locate the forest they were taken, adding that since the Federal government had failed to rescue them for the past 4 months , the international community should come in and rescue the remaining victims who were in a pitiable condition in the forest.
