Kaduna Train: Swap deal, breaches complicate release of kidnap victims; Gumi connection

After keeping its part of a swap deal with the terrorists that attacked and kidnapped 63 passengers on an Abuja-bound train in Kaduna in March, the federal government has witnessed a breach of agreement.

Although Information Minister Lai Mohammed has insisted government cannot be revealing all its effort in securing the release of the hostages, the truth about the logjam is seeping out.

According to a report by PR Nigeria, no fewer than 33 persons related to the terrorists have been released in response to the condition the train attackers gave for the safe release of the hostages.

“In fact, a spouse who delivered twins in custody safely was handed over to her parents,” the security news platform quoted a source as saying.

Rather than honor their own end of the bargain, the terrorists refused to release all of the hostages at once.

Those they released, 11 so far were released n batches, and that after they collected ransom.

The breach has now handed the the federal government the short end of the stick.

“They are now exploiting the situations to extort victims’ families for ransom payments, while other elements are exploiting the same for political gains,” the source said.

The only person making a political gain of the situation is Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, a Kaduna-based Islamic scholar who once advocated amnesty for bandits.

He’s not been as outspoken as he was before, but Gumi and his media aide who publishes the Desert Newspaper have remained the wheeler and dealer behind the release of these hostages.

Tukur Mamu claimed it was his effort—and not the federal government nonchalance— in speaking with the terrorists that facilitated the release of some of the hostages on July 9