By Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
Abductors of Abuja-Kaduna train passengers have given the Federal Government seven days to release their children in an orphanage in Jimeta, Adamawa State or they’ll waste the passengers in their custody.
In a viral audio released by a Kaduna State-based publisher and obtained by Stonix News on Tuesday, the terrorists alleged that the children are in custody of the Nigerian Army.
According to the terrorists’ group suspected to be Ansaru, “we are not after money. We don’t need it.
“We have a good reason for doing what we did; until our demands are met none of the victims will come out alive even if it means we all die with them.
“They are well taken care of as you can see from the pictures we sent to you via WhatsApp, but we assure you that this will not continue.
“We choose you (Tukur Mamu) to convey this important message to the government; the families of the victims and Nigerians in general because we believe you won’t alter our message.
“Not only that, we have seen you severally with Sheikh Gumi in the forest, therefore, we recognize the fearlessness in you.
“Our children, numbering about eight between the ages of one to seven years are currently being held at an orphanage in Jimeta, Adamawa State under the supervision of the Nigerian Army.
“The names of our children are; Abdulrahman, Bilkisu, Usman, Ibrahim and Juwairiyyah. They were forcefully taken from our wives in Nasarawa and taken to the orphanage.
“For any continued discussion on the release of these passengers and a safe resumption of the train service, our children must be released unconditionally.
“Only then we will release some of the abducted victims especially the women while other passengers will be released on a prisoner exchange with some of our arrested comrades by the government.
“Therefore, we rely on you and urged you to convey this important message to everyone,” the leader of the group by name Abu Barra, asserted.
The voice of Barra went further to warn that “if the government decided not to respond, so be it. We are warning Nigerians, especially those that are patronizing the train, that if this matter is not resolved peacefully, the day they decided to attack us or do anything funny, passengers or commuters should forget using the train or following the Abuja-Kaduna road.
“Nobody can stop us from doing what we intend doing. We will be consistent and they can’t stop us.
“We believe that you will deliver this message as it is.”
Recall that the Federal Government had resolved to resume the train services from Kaduna to Abuja but halted the idea after relatives of the abducted passengers protested against such insensitive move while their loved ones killed or are still in custody of their abductors.
The train passengers were abducted on March 28 while a number, including a female medical doctor and a lawyer were killed as the terrorists pumped pellets at the train.
