Gunmen have said to release 11 passengers who were kidnapped in a train attack in northern Nigeria at the end of March, stated a government minister. However, still, several others are in their captivity.
The minister of state for transportation, Gbemisola Saraki, stated in a statement on Saturday that the government is working to assure that all of the individuals who were abducted were released safely.
The passengers who were released were taken immediately to a hospital in Abuja. It has not been mentioned whether or not any ransom has been paid or how and where these passengers were released.
Armed gangs, known as bandits, blew up a train track on the Abuja-Kaduna route and opened fire on the train during the night on March 28, killing eight people on the spot.
The state railway company of Nigeria stated it couldn’t account for 168 passengers who were on the train. Most were later found, but 65 were missing.
The suspected bandits released a video showing several people in captivity who presented themselves as passengers on the train.
Saraki stated, “As grateful as we are for this positive outcome, we are equally aware of the suffering of all the victims and their families, who have unfortunately taken and (are) still surviving unimaginable trauma since the tragic incident happened.”
Armed gangs have killed and kidnapped hundreds of people for ransom in northern Nigeria, leaving citizens in a state of fear.
While marking Democracy Day on Sunday, June 12, President Muhammadu Buhari stated Nigerians were worried due to rising insecurity but promised his government was taking measures to contain the situation and assure a safe and secure general election in early 2023.
“I’m living daily with the suffering and worry for all those victims and sufferers of terrorism and kidnapping,” said Buhari in a speech.
