Families of Kaduna-Abuja train kidnap victims threaten to occupy government offices

FAMILIES of the remaining 51 Abuja-Kaduna train attack victims still being held have threatened owed to occupy key government facilities in Kaduna and Abuja over the government’s insensitivity to their plight.

On 28 March  an Abuja–Kaduna train with 970 passengers aboard, was attacked in Katari, Kaduna State, Nigeria.  At least eight people were killed in the attack, including Amin Mahmoud, a youth leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress; medical doctor Chinelo Megaf, lawyer Tibile Mosugu, and Barrister Musa Lawal-Ozigi, the secretary-general of the Trade Union Congress.

More than 65 others were kidnapped and since then several have been released with 11 set free last month but the bandits have threatened to kill the remaining hostages if the government does not respond to their demands. A few days ago, one of the victims was shot, sending a signal to the government that killing them was not difficult.

Dr Abdulaziz Atta, a spokesman for the families and friends of the remaining victims, said they are now fearful of losing them, especially with reports of snake bites and gunshot injuries they have suffered. Dr Atta, whose aged mother and sister are in captivity, said they were worried about the state of health of the captives.

He added that as it stands, there are no antibiotics, nobody to remove the bullets from bodies and although the government was responding positively, as 11 of their loved ones have been released, it should hasten the release of all other abducted victims. He appealed to government agents involved in the negotiations to speed up the process,

Dr Atta added:  “We have kids as young as three years old and from the feedback we had, these kids are unattended to. We have women injured and we have aged women and men there and those people should be brought out.”