The Federal Government has disclosed that the recent attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train was a collaboration between bandits and the “dislodged” Boko Haram terrorists from the Northeast.
The government said although security agencies are still working hard to unveil the group behind the attack, preliminary report shows that the criminal groups were collaborating.
Persecondnews recalls that on March 28, armed terrorists launched a bloody offensive on the Abuja-Kaduna train with about 970 passengers onboard, shooting at the passengers while they kidnapped some.
The attack which occurred a few kilometres to Kaduna metropolis left eight passengers dead, dozens injured and about 168 kidnapped.
The terrorists were reported to have detonated bombs on the track and immobilized it between Katari and Rijana en route to Kaduna.
Responding to questions from State House correspondents at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, the Minister of Defence, retired Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi and his Information and Culture counterpart, Mr Lai Mohammed, assured that the government was “on top of the matter”.
Magashi, while responding to a question on if government has identified those behind the attack said: “Honestly, I think the security chiefs are working hard to unveil those that are involved, and we will tell you very soon those that are carrying out these attacks.
“Both attacks in Jos and Kaduna, we will come and explain to the public what is really going on and our efforts to ensure that all these activities are stopped once and for all.
“We are really on top of the situation, we are planning hard and we will get it out as soon as possible.”
Mohammed on his part said: “What is happening now is that there is a kind of an unholy handshake between bandits and Boko Haram insurgents.
“Preliminary reports of what transpired at the Kaduna train attacks show that there is a kind of collaboration between the bandits and the dislodged Boko Haram terrorists from the North-East.
” I can tell you very confidently that the Federal Government on the top of this matter.”
On the 72 hours ultimatum given by families of victims of the train attack to secure their release or they take their fate in their hands, Mohammed said: “What the federal government is doing won’t be subject matter of a press conference because we have lives at stake.
“The various arms of security are working night and day to unravel the mystery surrounding the attack as a whole.
“On the kidnapped people, what I can assure you is that there are respective arms of government actually engaged as we speak. They are working to get those victims released.
“It’s natural for anybody who is a father or a mother of a kidnap person to be worried and to be concerned. But at the level of government, we appreciate that and we are leaving no stone unturned.”
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