The abductors of Abuja-Kaduna train passengers have threatened to start killing their captives if the Federal Government refused to release their children allegedly kept in a Yola detention facility.
On March 23, some terrorists had attacked the Kaduna-bound train, killing eight passengers and abducting several others.
Speaking with Tukur Mamu, the spokesman of Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, via a telephone, the leader of the terrorists, Abu Barra claimed that the abduction was a retaliation for the arrest and detention of their children by the security agencies.
Mr Barra said: “Our children numbering about 8 between the ages of one to seven years are currently being held at an orphanage in Jimeta, Adamawa State under the supervision of the Nigerian Army.
“The names of our children are; Abdulrahman, Bilkisu, Usman, Ibrahim and Juwairiyyah. They were forcefully taken from our wives in Nasarawa and taken to the orphanage in Yola.
“For any continued discussion on the release of these passengers and a safe resumption of the train service, our children must be released unconditionally.
“Only then we will release some of the abducted victims, especially the women while other passengers will be released on a prisoner exchange with some of our arrested comrades by the government.”
Mr Barra threatened that, if within seven days the government does not respond to their demands, they will stop feeding the victims and will start slaughtering them one after the other.
The terrorist leader added that if the government doesn’t respond after that, then Nigerians should forget using the Abuja-Kaduna rail line as well as the Kaduna-Abuja highway.
“If the government decided not to respond, so be it. We are warning Nigerians, especially those that are patronizing the train, that if this matter is not resolved peacefully, the day they decided to attack us or do anything funny, passengers or commuters should forget to use the train or follow the Abuja-Kaduna road because we will be consistent and they can’t stop us. We believe that you will deliver this message as it is.
“Therefore, we rely on you and urged you to convey this important message to everyone.”
Mr Barra further claimed that the Federal Government suspended the resumption of the train service because of their threats.
He said: “The government suspended the resumption of the train service indefinitely because of our threats and we repeat, if our conditions are not met, the resumption of the train service is to the detriment of the government and the passengers.
“We don’t need money. We have a good reason for doing what we did, until our demands are met none of the victims will come out alive even if it means we all die with them. They are well taken care of as you can see from the pictures we sent to you via WhatsApp but we assure you that this will not continue.
“We choose you (Tukur Mamu) to convey this important message to the government, the families of the victims and Nigerians in general because we believe you won’t alter our message and we have seen you severally with Sheikh Gumi in the forest, therefore, we recognized the fearlessness in you”.
