The terrorists that attacked the Abuja-Kaduna-bound train passengers on March 28 yesterday released four more hostages including an 85-year-old woman, Hajiya Halimatu Atta, her daughter, Adams Aliyu and two others after spending four months in captivity.
The release of the four hostages was confirmed to newsmen by Tukur Mamu, the publisher of a Kaduna-based newspaper and Media Consultant to renowned Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, who withdrew as one of the negotiators, in Kaduna.
According to him, one of the terrorists’ commanders was said to be in love with one of the abductees, 21-year-old Arzurfa Lois John. Mamu also disclosed that if urgent steps were not taken, Lois might be married out to one of the terrorists as was in the case of Leah Sharibu, the Dapchi schoolgirl.
Picture Caption: Lois John
Mamu also confirmed that the oldest victim of the attack, an 85-year-old Hajiya Halimatu Atta and her 53-year-old daughter, Adama Aliyu, have been released. The duo were part of the four more hostages released by the terrorists on Friday. However, Mamu noted that the health condition of the 23 remaining victims is pathetic and requires urgent medical attention.
Mamu further said the terrorists planned to marry off the 21-year-old girl, alerting the Federal Government and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to act urgently. According to him, the CAN must not politicise or take the information with levity, adding that relevant authorities should engage the abductors in her (Lois) case as soon as possible before it is late.
There was no mention of whether or not ransom was paid for the release of the four hostages but the terrorists had demanded N100m per victim before those earlier set free, were released. With the release of the sixth batch of four hostages on Friday, 23 hostages are still in the custody of the terrorists.
Recall that on 28 March 2022, terrorists 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.
