In less than 24 hours after releasing a video where they were seen flogging their captives and threatening to abduct President Muhammad Buhari and Governor Nasir el-Rufai, terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train, have released four of the remaining 43 hostages.
Abductors of Kaduna-Abuja train victims have released four from the remaining 43 victims in their captivity. The victims, who consist of two males and two females, secured their freedom around 11:00 AM yesterday with their relatives taking them up at a location inside the forest along the Kaduna-Abuja highway.
Terrorists had taken hostage 62 passengers of the ill-fated Abuja-Kaduna train on March 28.
Security operatives and the Kaduna State government are yet to issue any statement regarding the development.
The four captives released, according to the negotiator who recently facilitated the release of 11 victims, Malam Tukur Mamu, are; Gladys Brumen, Oluwatoyin Ojo, Hassan Lawal, and Pastor Ayodeji Oyewumi.
Lawal was the lead speaker in Sunday’s viral video, pleading with the international community to secure their freedom. It was gathered that his release was effected yesterday after ?100 million was paid by his family members. He has since united with his family in the Unguwar Rimi area of the Kaduna metropolis.
According to a family member, “my elder brother paid ?50 million, while friends and sympathizers paid the remaining balance. We are happy to see him back after four months. On behalf of our family, we thank Nigerians for their prayers and assistance during this most difficult of times.
“We never envisaged we will see him alive, especially when we saw him on the video yesterday. We couldn’t sleep. We were all awake praying seriously for their release. We will pray for the release of the remaining ones who are still in their custody.
“Right now, we are on our way to the hospital so that he will be appropriately examined,” he added.