42 Days After Abuja-Kaduna Train Attack, Families Of Victim Captives Protest In Kaduna

The families of victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack who are still in captivity have staged a peaceful protest in Kaduna. Their protest is coming about 42 days after terrorists attacked the train, killed nine passengers and abducted 70 others.

The leaders of the abducted victims’ family forum, Dr Abdulfatai Jimoh and Dr Baaba Muhammad also said the train services on the Abuja-Kaduna corridor should not resume until all the kidnapped passengers are safely rescued and the safety of prospective passengers is assured.

The duo who addressed the press in Kaduna on Monday expressed disappointment in the transport ministry over the failure to secure the release of the kidnapped train passengers.

The families equally called for punishment of officials of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) over the failure to implement the presidential directive for the opening of a situation room to give a minute by minute account of rescue efforts to Relatives of Kidnapped passengers.

“We are the families of abducted passengers of the NRC AK9 Abuja-Kaduna bound train attacked on 28th March 2022.

“Today marks the 42nd day our loved ones have been held, hostage. It has been 42 long days of living in fear, virtually no sleep, no bath, wearing the same clothes, under the scorching sun and rain, and exposed to extreme environmental hazards. The emotional, psychological, mental, and physical torture arising from these conditions are only imaginable.

“Among the abducted passengers are children, some as young as 3 years old, pregnant women, women including an 85-year-old great grandmother, and others. Some of these victims have health challenges requiring daily medications, which they have had no access to in the last 42 harrowing days.

“We read in the news that one of the two pregnant women in captivity delivered her baby in the forest. Giving birth is supposed to be a moment of joy; how would it have been if this woman delivered her baby in the comfort of a maternity ward? In whose hands? What is the place of birth of this baby, the forest?
“While some families have their breadwinners in captivity, others have their wives, mothers, sisters, brothers, uncles, and aunts held down in the bush. This hostage-taking has drastically disrupted the living conditions of affected families. Children are crying every day, with the only question in their mouths being: When are my Mummy and Daddy coming home? What a miserable state!!!

“Since this unfortunate attack on the Abuja-Kaduna bound train, we believe the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, alongside his Security and Intelligence Chiefs, have been working to rescue our loved ones. We have been given assurances that a positive outcome of these efforts would be apparent soon.
“Mr President also directed the Management of NRC to establish a Situation Room to give a minute by minute account of rescue efforts to relatives of kidnapped passengers. Still, one week after this presidential directive was issued, NRC has neither contacted the relatives of kidnapped victims nor established any Situation Room as directed by the president.

“This display of gross incompetence and insensitivity should lead to the appropriate punishment.
“Furthermore, we seek the intervention of the leadership of the National Assembly, which is the people’s court, but nothing has been forthcoming from them.

“We want to extend our profound gratitude to Nigerians, elder statesmen, traditional, religious, and community leaders, and the Nigerian media who have lent their strong voices to this struggle both in the open and behind the scene and their prayers for divine intervention. We still need this vital support until success is achieved.

“Our prayers are that; Number one, quick and safe rescue of our family members held hostage. Number two, the Abuja-Kaduna Train service should not resume until the first prayer is met, and adequate security measures are put in place to guarantee the safety of prospective passengers. This position aligns with the prayers of the majority of Nigerians,” the leaders demanded.