News Editor
Terrorists holding at least 160 passengers of the Abuja-Kaduna train attacked in March have released fresh photograph of their victims in captivity.
The photograph, mostly of women and children, appear to be a desperate move by the terrorists to force the hand of government in meeting their demands.
The terrorists have claimed that they were not interested in money, but prisoner exchange of their top commanders in government custody.
The terrorists seized the passengers who were travelling to Kaduna from Abuja on March 28 after derailing the train with a bomb.
At least eight passengers were killed in the incident, while 168 others were kidnapped or declared missing.
Ten days after the attack, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Bank of Agriculture, Alwan Hassan, was released alongside others.
Hassan, who was seen in a video released by the bandits, said he was freed on compassionate ground.
But a family member of Alwan Hassan claimed they paid N100m to secure his release, according to reporting by Daily Nigerian.
Alwan Hassan regained freedom after spending 10 days in terrorists’ captivity.
The newspaper said the kidnappers earlier sent the family a video of the harrowing experience of Alwan Hassan which triggered panic among family members who hurriedly raised the amount.
“A few days earlier, they sent the video of their harrowing condition in order to raise their stake. Alwan was always saying ‘give them whatever amount they want’. So, the family gave them what they insisted on… that is N100million,” said one of the family sources.
The kidnappers were said to have first asked the family to take the money to a forest in Katsina before asking them to make a detour to another forest in Kaduna.
The source added that after the family emissaries journeyed for hours in the bush, the gunmen appeared fully armed in their hundreds and collected the money.
