Jolted by the recent shooting of a kidnapped victim of the Abuja/Kaduna train attack, the families have pleaded with the House of Representatives to come to the rescue of those still in captivity.
In a meeting with the lawmakers on Wednesday, the victims’ families expressed shock that one of abductees had been shot dead.
Speaking at the meeting, the wife to one of the kidnapped victims, Matilda Kabir said fear of the unknown about who became the next person had become pervasive.
“We are here to plead with the House of Representatives. The news we are getting is not favourable. We are here to beg them to help us. It is not funny again. The news we got this morning is one person was shot. We don’t know who is next. My husband is there. We don’t know if it would be any other person. Nigerians should help. My husband is in captivity. They have been suffering. Imagine sleeping and standing there for 94 days. We are going to a hundred days. Please help us,” she said.
Her position was also the same with another family member, Aminu Lawal Uthman, whose brother was among the abductees.
“We are here to meet members of the House to continue pleading on efforts to release our family members because of the news we got this morning that one of the captives was shot. It is a terrible news.
“We are here to meet the right people to do the right thing to put more pressure on the FG and security agencies to do more to get the captives release. Every second is very important,” he said.
In his response, one of the members of the House, Hon. Bamidele Salem who received the families alongside his colleague, Hon. Many Soro Masur on behalf of 11 other lawmakers who were part of a recent motion to rescue the abductees said they were in touch with the negotiators.
“They also will be willing to grant the request of government. So as we were talking to the government, we are also in talks with the negotiators, the middle men, who are persons who directly talk to these abductors and we are very hopeful, that by the grace of God we would be able to get something tangible within the shortest possible time. I must also add the the Speaker met with family members some weeks ago and he is on the matter. We are briefing him again on this matter to ensure he takes further steps to make government hasten to secure the release of the people”, he said.
Similarly, May Soro Masur also called on the government to wake up to its primary responsibility of protecting the lives of the people.
“We have heard and would continue to put pressure to get them free. We in the House would not stop. We share in their sorrow and pain. It is our commitment nit to leave any stone unturned in our effort to ensure the victims are released unhurt.
“We will meet with the Speaker, the Chief of Defence Staff and other security agencies. We call on the Executive to do the needful. Security of lives and property is the primary responsibility of government. We have multiple efforts on the table,” he said.
Vanguard
