Terrorists on Wednesday released the 23 remaining victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack more than six months they were taken hostage.
Terrorists bombed the train on March 28 and killed an undisclosed number of its passengers before whisking dozens of others into an unknown destination.
While the government worked to rescue the hostages, it suspended the train services, which it took loans to build.
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The terrorists had released a few of the abductees in batches in the past months, with reports claiming each released abductee paid as much as N100 million in ransom.
Though the hostages were freed at about 4 pm on Wednesday, it was known if the relatives of the victims had paid ransom as those freed earlier had various sums of ransom to the terrorists.
The terrorists attacked the AK-9 Abuja-Kaduna train passengers on March 28, 2022.
They planted explosive devices along the rail track and when the Abuja-Kaduna bound AK-9 passenger train approached the point, the device exploded, causing the train to derail, leading to the death of eight passengers.
The Chief of Defense Staff, General Lucky Irabor, confirmed that the Nigerian military secured the release of the remaining 23 victims.
Announcing the development, the CDS said the nation owes the Nigerian military a debt of gratitude for achieving the feat.
The document signed by Secretary, Chief of Defense Staff Action Committee, Prof. Usman Yusuf, reads, “I am pleased to announce to the nation and the world that at 4:00 pm today, Wednesday, October 5, 2022, the seven-man Presidential Committee assembled by the Chief of Defense Staff General Irabor, secured the release and took custody of all the 23 remaining passengers held hostage by Boko Haram terrorists following the attack on the Abuja to Kaduna train on March 28, 2022.
“The nation owes a debt of gratitude to the Nigerian Military under the leadership of the CDS who conceived and guided the operation from start to finish. All sister Security Agencies and the Federal Ministry of Transportation contributed immensely to this Operation.”
He added that the President’s support made it possible to secure the release of the victims.
“The unwavering support of the President and Commander in Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR is what made it all possible.’’
On Wednesday, September 7, the country’s secret police, the Directorate of State Services (DSS), arrested the lead negotiator for the release of the abducted passengers, Tukur Mamu.
Mamu, the publisher of Desert Herald newspaper and spokesperson for the Kaduna-based Islamic cleric Ahmad Gumi, was arrested by Egyptian authorities while on his way to Saudi Arabia for the lesser Hajj, and was repatriated to Nigeria.
