The Nigerian Government has started negotiations with the terrorists who attacked an Abuja-Kaduna train recently and killed at least eight passengers, wounded 26, and kidnapped about 167 others.
This was revealed on Friday by the relatives of the kidnapped victims, who spoke to journalists.
The anxious relatives however asked the government to hasten the talks, while also warning the Nigerian Railway Corporation against resuming train services along the Abuja-Kaduna corridor until the kidnapped victims are all rescued.
Addressing the press in Kaduna, the families took a swipe at the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, for declaring his presidential ambition just a few days after the attack.
The aggrieved family members said Amaechi’s declaration was most uncharitable, pointing out that the Minister should have resigned over the attack, which they noted happened under his watch.
Dr Abdulfatai Jimoh, leader of the kidnapped relatives who addressed journalists on behalf of others in Kaduna on Friday, said that after the expiration of the 72-hour-ultimatum handed down to the Federal Government, “we are happy that the government has started discussing with the abductors of our relatives.
“It is true that we gave the Federal Government a 72-hour ultimatum which expired yesterday (Thursday) midnight,” Jimoh said.
“We are grateful to God that before the expiration of the 72 hours, we heard from the Federal Government after the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday through the Minister of Information that the government is already on top of the situation with what has happened.
“We acknowledged it and we appreciate it. But what we want to add is that the government should speed up the process of discussion with them (bandits) so that they can come out to release our people soonest. This is our appeal now.”
The terrorists in one of their videos posted online showing the victims had asked the Nigerian government to release their detained commanders and sponsors in exchange for the kidnapped passengers.
Reports that came out earlier this week said the bandits had moved the victims from Kaduna State into Niger State, where the terror groups now control a large expanse of land.
Jimoh said the NRC must shelve its planned resumption of train services while those abducted are still in captivity.
“The NRC should not be talking about reopening their services now when our people are in captive because what is the assurance that if they start services now that people that will be board the train are safe.
“What measure(s) have they put in place to guarantee the security of those that are going to patronise their services. We don’t want the reoccurrence of this.
“The first thing should be to get the captives out and then they can put adequate measures in place and resume service so that this does not happen again in future.”
Asked if the NRC should go ahead to resume training service, the Chairman said, “we want to believe that they won’t try it and if they do, we won’t take it lightly with them because human lives are involved. We believe they won’t. We believe they won’t because they know what’s at stake.”
