The yet-to-be rescued heavily pregnant abductee on ill- fated Abuja-Kaduna train after spending 31 days has been delivered of a baby in the kidnappers den in the Northern forests, it has been revealed. The woman, who was eight months pregnant when she was kidnapped on March 28, 2022, is among the over 100 passengers still being held captive by the terrorists.
Persecondnews recalls that the terrorists had bombed the rail tracks at Katari, Kaduna State, thereby derailing the train and shooting sporadically at the coaches.
At least, eight of the passengers including a female doctor were shot dead while several others were injured and 168 kidnapped.
Among those killed are Amin Mahmoud, a youth leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Chinelo Megafu Chinelo, a medical doctor, Tibile Mosugu, a rising lawyer and son of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and Barrister Musa Lawal-Ozigi, Secretary-General, Trade Union Congress (TUC)
Megafu Chinelo, a doctor, was declared dead hours after she said on Twitter that she had been shot on the Kaduna-bound train.
To date, only one person, the Managing Director of Bank of Agriculture, Alwan Hassan, has been freed after a N100 million ransom payment.
The families of 22 of the passengers have declared them missing.
It was the second time the rail line between Abuja and Kaduna would be the target of the terrorists.
According to reports, the woman gave birth last weekend under the supervision of some medical personnel brought in by the terrorists.
A credible source said: “The woman who was reportedly eight months pregnant at the time of the attack, gave birth safely after the terrorists were said to have invited a medical personnel to attend to her.
” The state of health of the baby is, however, unknown. She gave birth with the aid of doctors brought in by the terrorists.”
Meanwhile, spokesman for the families of the victims, Dr. Abdulfatai Jimoh, has said the federal government has yet to reach out to the families, adding that they were currently in the dark about the fate of their family members still in captivity.
Jimoh, who was on television, said 30 days after the victims were kidnapped and taken away, families had been traumatized.
“We are in the dark and worried over the development, especially as the terrorists prefer to negotiate with the government.
”The situation is still the same. There is no communication from them. The last time they called like I said was our relations that we spoke to. We have not spoken with them at all.
“From what they said, it was the government they want to talk to, so that’s why they have not called us. But assuming there is an option, we would have explored the option.
“They are not calling anybody and we can’t stretch them. It’s only the government that can talk to them.
“Our relatives are in captivity for 30 days today. So, you can imagine the condition they are in. They said it’s the government they want to talk to,” he said.
Jimoh asked the terrorists to reach out to the families, if there was an option for negotiation of release of their loved ones.
”We don’t have the power to force them to release our relatives. If negotiation is the only thing they want, we will discuss it with them.
“We understand the government is discussing with them and we want to believe that the government is talking to them. We just want the whole process to come to an end successfully and quickly.”
Meanwhile, the supervising minister for the Nigeran Railway Corporation (NRC), the Minister of Transportation, Mr Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, had two weeks ago made a public declaration to run for president ahead of the 2023 polls.
The Senate on Wednesday passed an amendment to the 2013 Terrorism Act, criminalizing and prohibiting ransom payment to terrorists and kidnappers across the country.
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