The federal government, on Thursday, has raised the hope of 23 families whose loved ones were kidnapped by terrorists on the Kaduna-Abuja train.
LEADERSHIP reports that on March 28, 2022, armed terrorists launched a bloody offensive on the Abuja-Kaduna train with about 970 passengers onboard, shooting at the passengers and kidnapping some of them.
The attack, which occurred a few kilometres to Kaduna metropolis, left about eight people killed, dozens injured and about 168 kidnapped by the bandits.
However, 42 victims have so far regained their freedom from the terrorist den with 35 still in captivity.
However, speaking with journalists on the sideline of the World Maritime Day, theme ‘New Technologies for Greener Shipping,’ in Lagos, on Thursday, the minister of Transportation, Engr. Mu’azu Sambo, assured the families of the victims that very soon the remaining passengers would regain freedom and reunite with their families.
The minister recalled that on his resumption day in office, the relatives of the victims blocked him from gaining access from where he pledged that he would ensure the release of their loved ones.
“I recall that on the first day of my resumption, I was going to resume, the families of the victims blocked the road to the office and I made the pledge before God and before them that all power lies with God but I will do everything within my powers to seek for secondary power from almighty God to get their relatives released and reunited with them.
“This will happen by the grace of God. I won’t say more than that. it will happen sooner than we expected and we all know that six months is a long time for loved one to remain in such traumatic condition. All of us are believers in God and he knows whatever befall is creation and it’s to him alone we ask for help.
“He has never failed when we ask him and am so sure of that and I have no doubt in my mind and by the power God processes, those who are still in captivity will soon be reunited with their families and like I told Nigerians, the live of one Nigerian is more important than the rail service we are providing, so I don’t want anyone to think of how much we are losing,” he pointed out.
According to him, serious efforts, which he could not elaborate on, were on to ensure that the victims of the unfortunate incident got reunited with their families.
Engr. Sambo however, debunked recent media reports that the Federal Government was losing over N30 billion as monthly revenue due the stoppage of train services on the Abuja-Kaduna route following the March 28 incident.
He said that was a fabrication of the authors of such reports and assured that soon the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) would make public its revenue figures for people to know the truth
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