BY: Manoah Kikekon
Terrorists who kidnapped passengers on the Abuja-Kaduna bound
train on 28th March 2022, have threatened to start killing the passengers in
their custody in seven days unless the government releases their children
allegedly kept in a Yola detention facility.
Leaders of the terrorists spoke on phone to the spokesman of
Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, Malam Tukur Mamu, ‘And Dan Iyan Fika, Vanguard reports.
In the audio of the conversations between Malam Tukur Mamu and
the leaders of the terrorists, the terrorists claimed that the Federal
Government suspended the resumption of the train service because of their
threats.
”The
government suspended the resumption of the train service indefinitely because
of our threats and we repeat, if our conditions are not met, the resumption of
the train service is to the detriment of the government and the passengers.
“We don’t need money. We have a good reason for doing what we
did, until our demands are met none of the victims will come out alive even if
it means we all die with them. They are well taken care of as you can see from
the pictures we sent to you via WhatsApp but we assure you that this will not
continue.
“We choose you (Tukur Mamu) to convey this important message
to the government, the families of the victims, and Nigerians in general
because we believe you won’t alter our message and we have seen you severally
with Sheikh Gumi in the forest, therefore, we recognized the fearlessness in
you”.
The leader of the terrorists; Abu Barra said in Vanguard report that it’s been
two months since the abduction and anything can happen to the abducted
passengers henceforth.
He said the abduction was a retaliation for the arrest and
detention of their children by the security agencies.
“Our
children numbering about 8 between the ages of one to seven years are currently
being held at an orphanage in Jimeta, Adamawa State under the supervision of
the Nigerian Army”, he said.
“The names of our children are; Abdulrahman, Bilkisu, Usman,
Ibrahim and Juwairiyyah. They were forcefully taken from our wives in Nasarawa
and taken to the orphanage in Yola”.
“For
any continued discussion on the release of these passengers and a safe
resumption of the train service, our children must be released unconditionally.
Only then we will release some of the abducted victims, especially the women
while other passengers will be released on a prisoner exchange with some of our
arrested comrades by the government,” he continued.
Abu Barra said that the pictures of the passengers they sent
earlier, were among some of the pictures they sent to the negotiation team of
the government as proof of the well-being of the victims. They said since then
the government had been lacklustre.”
“Barra
said they decided to come to a GSM enabled location with one of the female
victims to talk to Malam Mamu and as a confirmation of their claims. Mamu said
he could hear her cries with a very low voice that probably indicates
exhaustion pleading with him to please talk to the government on their behalf
for a swift intervention on their release.”
He threatened that, if within seven days the government does
not respond to their demands, they will stop feeding the victims and will start
slaughtering them one after the other and if the government doesn’t respond
after that, then Nigerians should forget using the Abuja-Kaduna rail line as
well as the Kaduna-Abuja high way.
“If the government decided not to respond so be it. We are
warning Nigerians, especially those that are patronizing the train that if this
matter is not resolved peacefully, the day they decided to attack us or do
anything funny, passengers or commuters should forget to use the train or
follow the Abuja-Kaduna road because we will be consistent and they can’t stop
us. We believe that you will deliver this message as it is”, he said.
SOURCE: VANGUARD