Both President Muhammadu Buhari and Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai were under threat from terrorists who were suspected to be Boko Haram members.
The insurgents threatened to sell the helpless victims in their den as slaves if the government did not agree to their demands in a new viral video that was released over the weekend, flogging the remaining 41 passengers kidnapped aboard the train attacked on March 28, 2022, between Abuja and Kaduna.
Terrorists Flog Kidnapped Train Victims In Fresh Video
Speaking in Hausa, the leader of the terrorists said the authorities must meet their demands to avoid killing some of the captives.
He said: “This is our message to the government of Nigeria and just as you have seen these people here, by God’s grace, you will see your leaders; your senators and governors will come before us.
“These ones you are seeing here, we will keep some as our slaves and sell them off just as our Imam told you in the past.
“Just like the Chibok girls that were sold off, we will equally sell these ones as slaves. If you don’t adhere to our demands, we will kill the ones we need to kill and sell the remaining.
“By God’s grace, el-Rufai and Buhari, we will bring them here.”
In the new video, the victims were seen crying, following the severe floggings they received from the terrorists.
An elderly woman, among the captives, was shown crying and pleading with the government to come to their immediate rescue, saying they didn’t know what they had done to deserve such inhuman treatment.
One of the captives, who appeared so weak and distressed, spoke in Hausa on behalf of other victims, alleging that the government was insensitive to their plight.
He said: “ I am one of those involved in the train mishap. That train belonged to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The government has the responsibility to rescue us but has failed.
“We called on our relations who were willing to rescue us but the Nigerian government, due to insensitivity to our plight, did not allow our relations to rescue us.
“This is why we are calling on the big nations of the world, such as England, America, France, Saudi Arabia, and the remaining international community, to intervene in this matter, to find a solution.
“Truly, the intention of these people (terrorists) was not for us to even spend one week in their captivity. They wanted their demands to be met so that they release us but Nigeria showed no concern over this matter and showed no care.
“We are, therefore, calling on these big nations of the world, ECOWAS, and AU to please help and intervene in this matter. They should come and help us so that a solution could be reached that will enable us to reunite with our families.”
Amid wailing from the terrible beating meted out on the captives, one of the terrorists said in Hausa that the Nigerian government should be blamed for what was happening to the captives.
The terrorist, wielding AK-47 rifles, who was flanked by his colleagues, all armed, with some having their faces concealed, said what was happening was the result of what a bad mother (Nigeria) had caused her children.
The terrorist said: “You should understand, look properly it’s not our intention to do this but it’s the outcome of what the Nigerian government is doing, setting up a committee, a tea party in Kaduna, to deliberate on how to rescue these people. They are there, enjoying the tea.
“You should know that there is nothing the committee can do. They can’t do anything. Are you not relying on guns? Your aircraft and your guns are like a spider’s web to Allah. We are for Allah, we are doing it for Allah. We are not afraid of anybody.
“You should know that this is a little you’ve seen. Know that, if our demands are not met, this place will become an abattoir.”
Terrorists Threaten To Kidnap President Buhari, El-Rufia
This comes a few weeks after the president’s advance team’s convoy was attacked while traveling to Buhari’s hometown of Daura, Katsina, in advance of Sallah.
The terrorists who kidnapped more than 60 passengers from the Abuja-Kaduna train on March 28 boasted that they would destroy the country, kill the other passengers in their possession, and sell out the remainder.
Terrorists were heard in the video threatening to convert the area into an abattoir if Muhammadu Buhari’s administration won’t comply with their demands.
He said: “This is our message to the government of Nigeria, and just as you have seen these people here, by God’s grace, you will see your leaders; your senators and governors will come before us. These ones you are seeing here, we will keep some as our slaves and sell them off just as our Imam told you in the past.”
“Just like the Chibok girls that were sold off, we will equally sell these ones as slaves. If you don’t adhere to our demands, we will kill the ones we need to kill and sell the remaining. By God’s grace, El-Rufai, Buhari, we will bring you here,” he added.
Presidency Reacts To Terrorists’ Threat To Abduct Buhari
The Presidency has reacted to a video of terrorists threatening to kidnap President Muhammadu Buhari and the governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement released on Sunday said the security agencies are not relenting in their assignment.
The statement titled ‘Latest Version of Terror Propaganda and Military Readiness’ read, “Terrorist activity using propaganda and the use of violence to force governments to accept or submit to political demands are not new all over the world.
“The country’s security and defence forces are not clueless or helpless. They have their plans and ways of doing things which they will not display in the media.”
The dilemmas in dealing with the specific case of train terrorists are manifold: punitive action like the popular call for carpet bombing of the known locations may assuage the desire of an angry public for revenge, but what about the hostages? They have committed no offence. All they did was board a train.
“It suffices to say that the security forces are not relenting. They are acutely aware of their duties, responsibilities, and what the nation expects of them. Whenever they embark upon those actions, they expect that the public should provide them with the needed support.
“Terrorism is a global scourge that must be fought by all actors- the military, the civilian population, and the communication service providers. This is the only way safe havens for terrorists are eliminated in every part of the world.
“To help the nation against the ongoing situation, the media must increase their support for the fight against the exploitation of the internet and social media for terrorist purposes.”
The Presidency, in the meantime, wishes to reassure the public that the President has done all, and even more than what is expected of him as Commander-in-Chief by way of morale, material, and equipment support to the military and expects nothing short of good results in the immediate.”
