Families Of Kidnapped Train Passengers Threaten To Occupy Abuja-Kaduna Roads

Families of victims of the Abuja-Kaduna AK-9 train attack have vowed to occupy major roads and key government facilities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Kaduna, in protest, to mark 100 days of the attack.

According to them, by next Tuesday, the remaining 50 victims would have been in the terrorists’ den for 100 days, and the protest is to demand the rescue of their loved ones.

Addressing journalists in Kaduna, yesterday, the families expressed worry about losing their members in captivity, especially with reports of snake bites and the gunshot injuries suffered by one of the captives.

Speaking on behalf of the families, Dr Abdulaziz Atta, whose aged mother and sister are victims, said members of victims’ families would be staging a ‘sit-down and occupy’ protest at public facilities until their loved ones are rescued.

“We read from the media a report that one of our loved ones, Al-Amin, was shot through accidental discharge by one of the non-state actors guarding our loved ones. But the key question is the state of health of the person that was shot.

There is no antibiotic and nobody to remove the bullets from his body; just imagine his situation in the bush. He needs urgent support. If he is not brought out of the bush, we may loose him.

“To be fair, we are seeing some of the outcomes of the government’s efforts. We have seen 11 of our loved ones that have been released. From the statement by Garba Shehu on behalf of the President, he made it clear that their children were released to them for us. We heard it from the highest authority. We know that the government is working on it, but what we are demanding is that they should hasten their release, as every single moment they spend in the bush is dangerous.”

Earlier, one of the female family members, Fatima Ciroma, had said: “The past 94 days have been days of living in fear, sleep-deprived, wearing the same clothes, under the scorching sun and rain, and exposed to all sorts of hazards. The emotional, psychological and physical torture arising from these conditions can only be imagined.”