Four weeks after the attack on a Kaduna-bound train that claimed at least nine lives with several others abducted, bandit-terrorists who perpetrated that act have released two photographs of their hostages.
The photos were posted on Facebook by one Bilkisu Yero, a lecturer at the Kaduna State University.
The photos, which were released on Monday, was the third time the bandits would be releasing evidence that the abductees have not been killed after all.
Till date, however, the Nigerian government has not been able to put a pin on the exact number of people abducted.
The gunmen have previously released two video footage showing some of the passengers.
The abductees have remained with the gunmen for a month, causing emotional pleas by their relatives that they be released.
But a top source close to the federal government told First News that there has been a ding-dong affair between the FG and the bandits over negotiation for the release of the abductees.
The source, who preferred anonymity owing to the sensitivity of the issue, said, “While the bandits are demanding N2bn to release the captives, they are also asking for the immediate release of all their members and some commanders arrested by the federal government.
“While the FG is negotiating the sums being demanded downwards, it is saying the the release of the bandits’ top commanders is nonnegotiable, though it is willing to release a few bandits that are penitent, and rehabilitate them.”
In one of the photos, the abductees were 23 in number, mostly women and children.
Among the children were two boys and three girls. The remaining 20 were all women.
Unlike the last video clip released by the bandits, the gunmen didn’t reveal the background on the pictures possibly to prevent their location from being tracked.
The gunmen used what looked like bed sheets to hide the natural background of the photos. The abductees were seated on a tarpaulin spread on the ground.
In the other photo, there were 17 men in two rows.
The description on the photo also showed it was taken with an Infinix mobile phone.
Meanwhile, following the release of the photos, some people have identified their relatives among the captives.
A relation, Mohammad Gamawa, said he could identify his aunt among the captives.
Gamawa said he thought his aunt was killed during the attack and her body had not been found.
“Oh my dear sister and mum, first and second on your right hand sat on the floor. Allah ya fida ku baki daya (May God save you all),” said Yusuf Atta, a federal government employee with the Ministry of Information and Culture, in the comment section of Yero’s Facebook post.
“Oh My God, that is my mum and sis together. May God save them from these people,” wrote Habiba Abdulaziz, another Facebook user
Isma’el Yarima also stated, “I can sight my sister. May Allah protect you all”
Sa’adatu Sani similarly sighted her aunt among those in the photos.
Nasir Lawal said he identified his female lecturer at the Kaduna Polytechnic. “She is the one in black maybe”, he wrote.
Abdullahi Sani, also from Kaduna, said looking his sister in the photo had helped reduce the tension he had been in since the train attack.
