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Tag: Abducted passengers

  • Security operatives rescue 17 abducted passengers in Katsina

    Security operatives rescue 17 abducted passengers in Katsina

     

    A combined security force has rescued 17 abducted passengers mostly males from the clutch of violent extremists in the Solar General Area of Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

    A military source said the success followed a distress call received on May 11, 2024, at about noon.

    He said the Nigerian Army Team 9 Troops, in collaboration with the Katsina Police Command, State Community Watch Corps, Special Hunters, and local hunters from Batsari were consequently and swiftly mobilised and deployed to the scene.

    Upon arrival, the combined security forces engaged the violent extremists in a firefight, thus abandoning their abductees and fleeing into the surrounding nearby bush.

    The military source revealed that all the abducted passengers were successfully rescued and have been released to the officials of Batsari Local Government Area of the state.

    In a Sunday statement, the Chief Press Secretary to the Katsina Governor, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed explained that the troops remain actively deployed in the general area of Katsina State to deter further criminal activities and ensure the safety of residents.

  • FG opens channel of discussion with kidnappers of passengers in Kaduna-Abuja train

    FG opens channel of discussion with kidnappers of passengers in Kaduna-Abuja train

    A channel of discussion with terrorists who abducted passengers on a Kaduna-Abuja bound train in March. 2022 has been opened by the Federal Government.

     

    Recall that bandits attacked the train, killed eight persons and abducted scores.

     

    The bandits had threatened to kill all the victims, if the federal government failed to negotiate with them.

     

    However, nine days after the attack, the terrorists released the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture, Alwan Hassan, after an alleged N100 million ransom.

     

    Speaking with journalists in Kaduna on Friday, relatives and friends of the abducted passengers said they have been assured by the Federal Government that a channel of discussion with the terrorists has been opened.

     

    “After the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, we heard from the Federal Government through the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed that the government is in dialogue. That government is already discussing with the abductors of our relatives,” said Dr Jimoh Fatai, who has been designated as chairman of the group pressing for the release of their loved ones.

     

    “We are happy about it, we note it, we acknowledge it and we appreciate the efforts of the government in that regard. What we are now appealing for is that government should speed up the process,” he said

  • Niger Governor receives 53 abducted passengers

    Niger Governor receives 53 abducted passengers

    Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello of Niger State has received the 53 abducted passengers of the state-owned Niger State Transport Authority (NSTA).

    The governor received the abducted passengers at the Government House, Minna, on Sunday at about 11:35 p.m.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the passengers were seized by armed bandits in Rijau on Feb. 14.

    The passengers were on their way to Minna but were intercepted at Kundu Village on Minna-Tegina Road in the Rafi Local Government Area.

    The governor said that the victims were released by their abductors after thorough negotiations and consultations between the government and the suspected bandits.

    “We thank God for helping us to secure their release. We went through one week of consultations and sleepless nights to secure their release,” he said.

    He said that before they would rejoin their various families, the state government must ensure that they undergo a thorough medical checkup.

    The released passengers were 20 women, nine children and 24 men.

    The victims were all looking tired and hungry, as some of them could barely walk.

    However, the governor said that the abducted 27 students of Government Science College, Kagara, were still in the hands of their captors, adding that effort was being intensified for their safe return.

    He assured the residents of the state that very soon the government would secure their release.