There are very strong indications that over 60 passengers, abducted after the ill-fated attack on a Kaduna-bound passenger train may be released soon, contrary to a false report making the rounds that they are back to the bosom of their loved ones.
A source told Everyday.ng that all negotiations and arrangements for the release of the traumatised passengers had been concluded.
Details were sketchy last night, but it was gathered, “they will head home in a matter of hours, or even days, depending on the integrity of some involved parties.”
The last piece of the freedom puzzle, it was learnt, was figured out days ago when an appropriate care-giving location was sighted and pencilled down.
Recall that suspected Boko Haram insurgents had 72 days ago bombed and shot into a train, forcing it to derail a few minutes into the Kaduna final stop at Rigasa.
Eight persons were confirmed dead, 30 injured and over 60 abducted by the insurgents.
Only one prominent person, the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture was freed after his relatives and friends allegedly paid a ransom of N100 million. There have been unconfirmed reports of others been let go.
The terrorists were said to have asked for prisoner exchange, trading the passengers for some of their own in government detention facilities. Sources were not forthcoming on these details.
Meanwhile, PREMIUM TIMES is reporting that at least five residents were confirmed killed and several others severely wounded after bandits attacked Magazu village of the Tsafe local government area in Zamfara State Tuesday evening.
The attack came weeks after residents of the predominantly Hausa Community had a peace meeting with the bandits operating in the area. Many of the bandits are of Fulani lineage.
Balarabe Shehu, a local in Tsafe town, said he knew two of the residents killed.
“I know Mustapha Abdullahi and Ibrahim Ahmad they were among the five people killed. Mustapha Abdullahi was the first to be killed even before the bandits entered the community because he was seen working in his farm.
“I heard that Ibrahim Ahmad was killed while he was running for his life after the bandits entered the village. He was shot alongside his brother, Musa, but the brother is not dead,” Mr Shehu said.
He said the remaining three residents killed were also male.
Mr Shehu added that at least 15 residents were admitted at the General Hospital in Tsafe following the bandits’ attack.
“Honestly, I can’t tell you the number of those wounded. They’re many who have been severely wounded. Some of them were not shot but got wounded while trying to escape the attack. I learnt some have not been taken to the hospital,” he said.
Peace meeting
Magazu community is one of the troubled villages in the Tsafe local government area of the state.
Sources told PREMIUM TIMES that bandits’ leaders in the area like Ada Aleru and Hassan Nabamanu considered Magazu too hostile to Fulanis which make it an easy target for the gunmen.
In March, PREMIUM TIMES exclusively reported how a peace meeting between Mr Aleru and some elders in Tsafe local government led to a ceasefire for some weeks.
But Mr Aleru said he would not spare Magazu and other communities considered too hostile to the Fulanis.
A law enforcement source who asked not to be named because they have no authorisation to speak with the media told PREMIUM TIMES how leaders of the Magazu community reached out to some bandits’ leaders for a dialogue.
“Five or four days ago, there was a meeting between the bandits’ leaders, especially Ada Aleru and his people on the one side and community leaders on the other where some agreements were made. The community elders sought for a window so that their people could be allowed to work on their farmlands while the bandits demanded a safe route from the community elders,” the source said. said.
The source added that the bandit leader also told residents of Magazu to stop killing innocent Fulani.
When asked if the bandits who undertook the attacks were from the same camp as those engaged in the peace meeting, he said he did not know.
“You know how these bandits are, they’re many and have different camps and that’s one of the reasons why it’s impossible to reach an agreement with them. It’s possible that the bandits who undertook the attack were not part of the agreement,” he said.
Mr Shehu, from Tsafe town, confirmed that there was a peace meeting between the people of Magazu and the bandits.
The police command spokesperson in Zamfara State, Mohammed Shehu, didn’t respond to calls and SMS sent to him during the attack.
North-west states of Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto and Kebbi as well Niger in the north-central have been witnessing an increase in the number of bandits’ attacks leading to the death and displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
Banditry is a code for organised crimes like kidnap for ransom, cattle rustling, armed robbery, etc.
