Train attack: 54 passengers still with Fulani bandits
About 54 passengers abducted by Fulani bandits who derailed a train between Kaduna and Abuja are still in captivity after the kidnappers released only 11 of the 65 hostages.
Checks by The Oracle Today confirmed that government is working to meet some of the conditions given by the bandits who are rumored to be seeking a permanent base in the country.
Earlier videos from the abductors some of whom are said to be incapable of communicating in the English showed some selected victims saying that they have already conveyed their demands for release of the passengers to the government.
The details of what the bandits demand are yet to be made public but indications shows that the kidnappers might be making political demands rather than financial ransom.
Minister of State for Transportation, Gbemisola Saraki, confirmed in a statement on Saturday that the 11 abductees who were released as President Buhari prepared to address the nation on Sunday morning were just a fraction of the passengers in captivity.
The timing of the release of the 11 victims, The Oracle Today reports, suggests some level of political support for the president whose appraisal has hit the dust following worsening insecurity since 2015 when he assumed office.
President Muhammadu Buhari who has less than 12 months to conclude his full eight year tenure in office however said Nigerians were worried by rising insecurity, but promised his government was working to contain the situation and ensure a safe and secure general election in early 2023.
He added in his national broadcast to mart the June 12 democracy day that he grieves and worries for all those victims and prisoners of terrorism and kidnapping in the country.
Official figures show that over 50 people including women and children are still in the custody of the criminal who have made the lives of Nigerians a living hell by killing and abducting hundreds of people for ransom and leaving citizens terrified.
The Minister however stated that the government was making efforts to secure the release of all the kidnapped passengers.
He said the freed passengers were taken to a hospital in Abuja. Saraki did not say how and where they were released, or if ransom was paid.
“As grateful as we are for this positive development, we are equally mindful of the anguish of all the victims and their families, who have unfortunately endured and (are) still enduring unimaginable trauma since the tragic incident,” Saraki said.
