Abuja-Kaduna Train Service Shouldn’t Resume Until Victims Are Released, Families Declare

•Fear God, release our parents, children beg terrorists

John Shiklam

The families and relations of the abducted passengers of the March 28, Abuja- Kaduna Train attacked, have declared that train services along the route should not resume until the victims are released from captivity.

This is as children, whose parents were among those kidnapped in the the train attack, had asked the terrorists to exercise the fear of God and release them, lamenting that life had been tough without their breadwinners

At a press conference on Monday in Kaduna, leaders of relations of the abducted people, Dr. Abdulfatai Jimoh, expressed disappointment with the Minister of Transport, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, and the management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), for alleged insensitivity towards the plight of the victims.

The relations also expressed disappointment that they sought the intervention of the leadership of the National Assembly, “which is the people’s Court, but nothing has been forthcoming from them,” adding, “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,”Jimoh said.

He lamented that, “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!”

Jimoh held that, “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. We must, however, register our displeasure with the way and manner the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, has been handling this tragic event since it occurred.

“Just a few days after 28th March, Mr. Amaechi was seen running around the Stadium in Port Harcourt where he declared his intention to become the next President of Nigeria. We had expected Mr. Amaechi to be running around as to how to get his abducted passengers rescued, and this is highly disappointing.

“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 sought the intervention of the leadership of the National Assembly, which is the people’s Court, but nothing has been forthcoming from them,” they contended.

The relations, however, expressed gratitude to Nigerians, especially elder statesmen, traditional, religious, and community leaders, and the Nigerian media for lending their strong voices to the struggle and for their prayers for divine intervention, stressing, “We still need this vital support until success is achieved.”

Also, children of the victims, in an interview with journalists on Monday, in Kaduna, after a press conference by the relations, appealed to the government to do everything possible to ensure the release of their parents.

One of the children, Ismail Abubakar, 11, claimed life has been tough without his father, saying, “I am appealing to them to release my father and others safely. They should let them free. Life has been tough without my father since he was kidnapped.”

Similarly, 18 years old Ruqqayatu Jibril, whose two parents were in captivity, pleaded with the terrorists to free their victims.

“I have my two parents in captivity. This is their 42nd day in captivity and still counting. We are appealing to the government to bring back our loves. We have missed them so much. Some of them are breadwinners of the family. We really need them back. We the family are waiting in anguish,” she said.

While noting that living without them has been traumatic, she said, “It is so terrifying. We are appealing to the government to do their best possible to rescue our beloved ones unhurt. We are appealing to the bandits to please free our loved ones. They are also humans. We are humans like you. Even if you don’t share anything in religion, then, you share in humanity.

“Why should you just capture fellow citizens. You are also citizens of this blessed. But why should you be capturing people that are your brothers and sisters and keep them in captivity for almost six weeks. Please and please, fear God and free them.”