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Families of kidnapped train passengers want Amaechi sacked

By Saxone Akhaine, AbdulGaniyu Alabi (Kaduna) and Ahmadu Baba Idris (Birnin Kebbi)
10 May 2022   |   3:39 am
Forty-two days into the Abuja-Kaduna train attack, where nine persons were killed and some other 70 passengers kidnapped, families of the captives have flayed the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, demanding his immediate removal from office.

Amaechi

• Pray till abducted Kebbi schoolgirls regain freedom, chief executive advises parents

Forty-two days into the Abuja-Kaduna train attack, where nine persons were killed and some other 70 passengers kidnapped, families of the captives have flayed the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, demanding his immediate removal from office.

They insisted that train services on the corridor should not resume until the abductees regain freedom and safety of prospective passengers is guaranteed.

The families, at a press conference in Abuja, regretted that Amaechi, who ought to be pre-occupied with rescuing the victims, is busy touring cities to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.

While leaders of the kidnapped passengers’ families, Dr. Abdulfatai Jimoh and Dr. Ba’abba Muhammad, were addressing the media, other members chanted ‘Amaechi must go.’

The relatives equally called for punishment of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) officials for allegedly failing to implement the presidential directive on opening of a situation room to give for updates on the captives.

The duo observed: “We are the families of abducted passengers of the NRC AK9 Abuja-Kaduna bound train attacked on March 28, 2022. Today marks the 42nd day our loved ones have been held hostage. It has been 42 long days of living in fear, virtually no sleep, no bath, wearing the same clothes, under the scorching sun and rain, and exposed to extreme environmental hazards. The emotional, psychological, mental and physical tortures, arising from these conditions, are only imaginable.

“Among the abducted passengers are children, some as young as three year-old, pregnant women and other females, including a 85-year-old great grandmother.”

“ Some of these victims have health challenges requiring daily medications, which they have had no access to in the last 42 harrowing days.

They continued: “We read in the news that one of the two pregnant women in captivity delivered her baby in the forest. Giving birth is supposed to be a moment of joy. How would it have been if this woman delivered her baby in the comfort of a maternity ward? In whose hands? What is the place of birth of this baby – the forest?”

BESIDES, Managing Director of Hydro Electric Power Producing Development Commission (HYPEDEC), Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, has called on parents of Federal Government College Birnin Yauri pupils still in captivity to sustain supplication as last resort.

He made the appeal, yesterday, in Birnin Kebbi, while fielding questions from reporters. His words: “You see, out of over 100 children that were kidnapped last year, about 80 per cent have been released. We hope that the remaining ones would regain freedom soon.”

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