There are indications that snake and scorpion bites have deteriorated their illness, with claims that nine of them may have died as a result.

This was disclosed by Malam Tukur Mamu, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi’s media consultant, who recently brokered the release of 11 abducted train passengers.

As the rainy season continues, he claims the hostages are being attacked by snakes and scorpions in the bushes. According to the investigation, nine of the victims may have died as a result of the terrible conditions in which they were placed.

Due to their poor health problems and the horrible conditions they are exposed to in the forest, most of the surviving victims of the train assault will barely survive the next several weeks, according to Mamu.

This is just as he said efforts to rescue them must be treated as a national emergency if the government wants most of them to come back alive.

Recall that the terrorists attacked a Kaduna-bound train on March 28, 2022, killing nine passengers and kidnapping 63 others, including the managing director of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), who was freed a few days later after allegedly paying N100 million.

Mamu, the publisher of the Desert Herald newspaper, said he was informing the country’s authorities, notably security agencies and concerned Nigerians, that something urgent had to be done right now to save the remaining suffering victims.

“This is not the time to politicize issues. The lives of very promising, innocent Nigerians are involved in this. Their health is deteriorating by the day. Even animals without proper care will hardly survive in the environment they are forced to live in for nearly three months now. I believe the government is aware and has taken note of the testimony of the 11 victims who were secured. It makes me sad when issues like this are not treated with dispatch, with the seriousness and speed they require,” he stressed.

He urged the government to adopt diplomacy to resolve the matter and to prioritize their rescue and other cases of insecurity over the 2023 elections.

Mamu said in addition to lack of diagnosis and treatment coupled with poor nutrition, poor sanitary condition, and how they are exposed to unbearable forest life, most of the hostages have lately developed a series of life-threatening complications with some vomiting blood. He revealed that the condition of those with already underlying illnesses is fast deteriorating and called on the federal government to act fast before it is too late.

He said, “I can confirm to you that there are many snakes in that forest. Some of them are victims of snake bites as they appear frequently in the night. They only depend on local solutions (herbs) to treat it.

“The bites as we know can be life-threatening. Government is the only authority with the means and powers to end this crisis as soon as possible. And with the right approach, I can assure you it can be achieved within days or weeks. We have proven that in the release of the 11 victims.

“If we can tolerate corrupt officials that are stealing billions every day as a result of which poverty and insecurity increase, for me it is not out of place to use negligible part of such stolen resources to secure such victims whenever the need arises. And if for any reason the government did not act promptly, since it has been alerted, they must be prepared to take full responsibility.”