The five Abuja-Kaduna train attack victims with Mallam Tukur Mamu (3rd Left), after their release
Attackers of the Abuja-Kaduna bound train on March 28 have released five more kidnapped passengers.
The five victims, who were freed on Tuesday are Prof. Mustapha Umar Imam, Akibu Lawal; Abubakar Ahmed Rufai, Mukthar Shu’aibu and Sidi Aminu Sharif.
The attackers had killed nine passengers and kidnapped 63 others on March 28.
While confirming their release to journalists in Kaduna, the Publisher of Desert Herald newspaper, also the lead negotiator and Media Consultant to Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, Malam Tukur Mamu said government should hasten and negotiate the release of the remaining victims in captivity because they were in dangerous situation.
Mamu also released their photographs and confirmed identity of the victims.
He also harped on the importance of dialogue with the terrorists, insisting that there is nothing dialogue and negotiation could not achieve.
“In a situation where military force cannot work, dialogue would certainly work,” he said.
All the freshly released victims expressed gratitude to Allah and thanked Tukur Mamu for the role he had played while negotiating with their captors .
Mamu, who voluntarily engaged in negotiating the release of the train victims but had backed out due to alleged threats to his life and lack of support from the Federal Government, said the five released victims were in his office immediately after they were freed.
The abductors have continued to release the kidnapped passengers in batches beginning with the Managing Director Bank of Agriculture, Alwan Ali-Hassan followed by another sets of 11, seven and four before the latest set of five.
The release of the latest batch has brought the number of the kidnapped train attack victims released so far by their captors to 29; leaving about 34 others still in captivity.
It was not however clear whether any ransom was paid for the release of the latest freed passengers.
