Abducted train passengers
Kaduna-Abuja train attack: Families pay N200m ransom, as terrorists free seven more hostages
Families of abducted passengers on the ill-fated Abuja-Kaduna train reportedly paid N200 million in ransom as terrorists freed seven more of their hostages, Wednesday.
With the police and the Kaduna State Government yet to confirm the payment of any money for the release of the hostages by the terrorists, reports indicate, however, that the sum was paid to secure the freedom of the latest batch of passengers abducted during the Monday, March 28, 2022 attack on the train shuttle.
The latest set released included a family of six and a woman.
Their release was confirmed to journalists in Kaduna by Tukur Mamu, Publisher of Kaduna-based Desert Herald and Media Consultant to a controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi.
The identities of the released family of six are Abubakar Idris Garba, his wife, Maryam Abubakar Bobo, and their eldest son, Ibrahim Abubakar Garba, who’s 10 years old.
Others include Fatima Abubakar Garba (7), Imran Abubakar Garba (5), and youngest Zainab Abubakar Garba, who is only one and half years old.
Abubakar Idris Garba is a staff of the National Assembly Service Commission.
Also released is a 60-year-old woman, one Hajia Aisha Hassan, who was said to have been released due to life-threatening health challenges that deteriorated recently.
Incidentally, one of the freed hostages is the son of General Idris Garba, Abubakar, his wife and four children.”
Only penultimate week, the terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train back in March, this year, Tuesday night, had freed five passengers being held captive.
Three hostages were earlier released the week before that, with the fresh five more freed bringing to 37 in total of the number of passengers aboard that train abducted by the terrorist.
30 more passengers now remain in captivity of the terrorists.
Minister of Information and Culture had disclosed that the Kaduna-bound train was attacked by a combined team of Boko Haram insurgents dislodged from the Northeast and bandits operating in Niger, Kaduna and Zamfara states.
The ill-fated Kaduna-bound train, which left Abuja 6pm on the fateful day in March, was attacked by suspected terrorists around 7.45 pm, with just 15 minutes drive left for it to arrive Kaduna.
The terrorist had reportedly planted explosives believed to be IEDs on the rail track around Katari, Kaduna state which caused the Kaduna-bound train to derail from track.
It was gathered that the train which took off around 6 pm from the Idu train station at the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja hit an explosive device about 30 minutes to Rigasa train station in Kaduna State.
