After 74 days in a terrorist’s den, some victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack have regained their freedom.
The Kaduna-bound train was attacked by terrorists on March 28, 2022.
They opened fire on the train while it was in motion, killing at least 9 people and whisking away over 60 including children and the elderly, to an unknown location.
The kidnappers later demanded the release of their own children as well as some of their captured commanders held in government facilities in exchange for the captives.
Reports say that the terrorists today, released 6 females and 5 male victims of the train attack on Saturday.
This comes after several threats of execution of the victims which were followed by intense negotiations.
According to Daily Trust, Tukur Mamu, Publisher of Desert Herald, who served as a mediator, confirmed their release today.
Mamu said that a source confided in him that the terrorists released the male captives on health grounds, adding that the women were among the vulnerable in captivity.
According to Mamu, “It was expected initially that all the abducted women will be released in the first batch while negotiations for the release of the remaining victims will continue but the abductors had cut down the number of women they initially agreed to release because the Nigerian Government had demanded that they include those with life-threatening injuries among the released,”
Relatives of those set free are said to be anxious to reunite with them.