The seven have been reunited with their families, The Guardian gathered.
Although the military authorities wanted to keep the freed victims, the latter vehemently refused and followed Mamu to his Kaduna office to meet anxiously waiting family members.
It was tears of joy, Mamu noted, for those who sighted their loved ones after over 100 days in the terrorists’ enclave, and of a disappointment for those whose relations were still in captivity.
The latter accused the government of endangering the lives of their loved ones by unnecessarily delaying their release for them to get urgent medical attention in view of their health condition.
Mamu explained that after retrieving the victims, the soldiers provided security cover for them back to Kaduna.
Son of Ango Abdullahi, the Chairman of Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Sadiq, who was among the freed victims, said: “The soldiers were considerate enough to hand us over to Mamu after we insisted on not going with them. He has done the most difficult job, Alhamdulillah (Thanks to God). We were all taken to his office. Even before then, he had contacted all our family members to come and pick us up.”
“I can confirm to you that this man did this thing alone because even our family members were taken by surprise; they least expected the rescue soon, more so that today, Saturday, is Sallah.”
He urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts to ensure that the remaining passengers are rescued as soon as possible because of their deteriorating health conditions.
Mamu added: “Sincerely, I have so much respect for Governor Buni. From the information I have, there is no single Yobe citizen left in that forest, but the governor demonstrated an uncommon concern on this issue. He has been in touch with me throughout, monitoring development and even reaching out to those concerned whenever there is the need to do so.
“Buni gave lots of support. This is a governor from the North East, far from the North West where we have this crisis. He told me not to publicise his efforts but I have to.”
The media consultant to Sheikh Ahmad Gumi reiterated that they only used the power of dialogue and persuasion during the negotiation, claiming that no money exchanged hands.
