At least 11 of the abducted passengers in the ill-fated Abuja-Kaduna train attacked by terrorists on March 28, 2022 regained their freedom on Saturday evening.
The captives spent over 70 days in the kidnappers den before they were released after intense negotiation which was led by the Sheikh Ahmed Gumi.
Those released were six females and five male captives.
The Publisher of Desert Herald, Tukur Mamu, who is also the Media Aide to Gumi who served as the mediator said their release was the result of the restoration of trust between the abductors and Federal Government. He expressed the hope that the remaining abductees would be released soon.
He said the released have been handed over to the Federal Government and were currently going through medical evaluation at the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
He named those released to include:
Amina Ba’aba Mohammed
Rashida Yusuf Busari
Jessy John
Hannah Ajewole
Amina Jibril
Hassan Aliyu
Najib Mohammed Dahiru
Peace A. Boy
Danjuma Sa’idu
Gaius Gambo
Mamu, who did not disclose the identity of the 11th passenger as of the time of this report, said President Muhammadu Buhari , Chief of Defence Staff as well as other security agencies must be commended for their roles in the release.
He added that Sheikh Gumi equally played a crucial role as the chief mediator, behind the scene.
“He was involved from the first day I started. Infact, I accepted that role because of his directive to that effect.Even the final arrangement of how and the safest place to get the victims released was arranged and coordinated by him,” he said of Gumi.
Earlier, the abductors had demanded the release of eight of their children said to have been in the custody of the Federal Government.
Recall that efforts by victims families to even pay ransom on their loved ones had been rebuffed as the abductors directed their demands to the Federal Government.
Only last Sunday, the abductors had given the Federal Government seven days within which to comply with their demand or risk the killings of all passengers in their captivity.
The release of the 11 captives is a clear signal that the Federal Government has met all the demands of the terrorists and an indication that the remaining ones in captivity will soon be freed.