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| Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi visited the scene of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack on March 29, 2022 |
Relatives of the abducted persons in the Kaduna train attack have warned the Nigerian Railway Corporation not to resume services on the Abuja-Kaduna route until their loved ones abducted by bandits are released.
The aggrieved relatives gave the warning during their daily meeting in Kaduna on Friday.
Chairman of the Concerned Relatives of Abducted Persons, Dr Abdulfatai Jimoh, said it is inhumane for the NRC to resume operations while the kidnapped victims are still languishing in the forest.
The angry relatives vowed to disrupt train services on the Abuja-Kaduna route if the victims are not rescued before the resumption of train services.
The train attack occurred on March 28, leaving at least seven people dead and over 100 unaccounted for.
On Tuesday, the families had issued a 72-hour ultimatum to ensure the release of their loved ones.
Some of the family members claim they have spoken to the bandits.
They claimed the bandits did not make any specific demands.
The bandits have released footages of the abducted persons who called for the government to help rescue them.
Abdulmalik Attah, who said he has his 85-year-old mother and sister in the custody of the bandits, claimed he has been in frequent touch with the bandits.
โI have spoken to the bandits,โ he said. โI was one of the first guys that spoke with them. Iโve spoken with them 11 times. And asides me, I donโt think anybody has done that. And what did they say say?
โIn the first instance, they said they had their targets on that train, that it werenโt our parents and brothers and sisters that they aimed at, but that these were just necessary evil.
โAnd what did they tell me? That the Governor has been running his mouth. And thatโs why they came to his doorstep. And that this is just the beginning, that they will go further than this. I spoke with them, they told me that.โ
