Contrary to the news of the release of the kidnapped passengers of the train attack of March 28th, 2022, which went viral yesterday, the publisher of Desert Herald and media consultant to Sheikh Mahmud Gumi, Mamu Tukur has said it is not true.
Also, families of the victims refuted the report and urged the general public to ignore it.
Although he said negotiations were in top gear to secure their release, he stressed that with concerted efforts being put in place, the abductees would be released in no distance time.
Meanwhile, the news of their purported release was reported in some online platforms yesterday amidst controversies of its authenticity.
In the report, the son of one of the kidnapped victims was quoted to have written, “Alhamdulillah, my mum and elder sister have just been released, at the moment in a medical facility receiving medication in Kaduna.”
When LEADERSHIP contacted Mamu on the issue, he said, “The news is not true but frantic efforts are being made to secure their release soon, Insha Allah.”
Also, one of the leaders of the families of the kidnapped victims wrote on their platform that, “We, the leaders of this group have been inundated with calls on the rumoured release of two of our loved ones. We wish to state that the news is not true and it should be disregarded, please. We should please not spread unconfirmed news.”
Mamu was contacted by the terrorists holding the victims captive in a recorded audio conversation that went viral, where the terrorists asked him to tell the federal government to release eight of their children being held in detention as part of condition for the release of the kidnapped passengers.
It was followed with a video released by the terrorists which also went viral where some of the victims including Sadiq Abdullahi, son of the convener of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) Professor Ango Abdullahi where he and other captives profusely begged the federal government to do everything possible to secure their release.
