The Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai has insisted that the state government will not pay any ransom to the terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train and kidnapped some of the passengers.
This is as El-Rufai revealed that he warned the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) against night operations on that route based on intelligence about an impending attack by these terrorists.
This was made known by a visibly sober El-Rufai while briefing State House correspondents after a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to update him on what has been going on since the terror attack that recorded some casualties.
Also, El-Rufai, who appears frustrated and indicted the Nigerian military for not doing enough, has vowed to hire foreign mercenaries to fight against terrorists following the Monday night attack on a Kaduna-bound train.
He also stated that four others of the seven Northwestern states—Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto—may join him to hire foreign mercenaries if the Federal Government does not end the ongoing spate of terror attacks in the region.
What the Kaduna State Governor is saying about ransom
According to NAN, El-Rufai in his address confirmed that the gunmen had contacted families of their captives, but yet to request for ransom.
He said, “Well, the families of those kidnapped have been contacted while some of the captives themselves have called their loved ones, saying they are doing well and they are being taken care of. But the gunmen have not shown any sign of collecting ransom.’’
The governor maintained that these gunmen are not kidnappers but members of the Boko Haram terrorist group working in collaboration with bandits.
He said, “These ones are not the usual kidnappers but members of Boko who are collaborating with bandits.
”So we were thinking they will ask for a huge ransom from the state government, not the families of their victims. So far, they have asked for ransom from just one of the families that were contacted.
“As far as the Kaduna state government is concerned, we have not changed our stand on payment of ransom, so, even if they seek for that from us, we will not pay because we are not ready to do so.’’
Intelligence revealed the impending terror attack
El-Rufai revealed that the state government had received intelligence report that the gunmen were going to strike on the rail line and had informed the NRC on the matter, but no action was taken.
He said, “We think this thing happened because we have written twice to the NRC, advising that trains on the Kaduna route should not embark on night trips because we have reports that Boko Haram was in town and they plan to attack the train at night using explosive devices.’’
He stressed the need for massive bombing of all bandit-infected enclaves including forest areas in the North West and North Central parts of the country.
What you should know
- Recall that earlier on Monday, some terrorists attacked an Abuja-Kaduna train with many passengers on board. The attack which occurred a few kilometres to Kaduna metropolis had about 8 people killed, with dozens injured and some others suspected to have been kidnapped by the bandits.
- The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in the company of heads of security agencies in the state, on Tuesday, visited some of the victims receiving treatment at the 44 military hospital and St. Gerald hospital.
- The Kaduna State Government had a few days ago, announced that 398 passengers bought tickets for the trip on the Abuja-Kaduna train service which was attacked by terrorists with the release of the passenger manifest by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
- The figure appears to contradict the earlier media report that about 970 passengers were on board the attacked train.
It is very sad that we are witnessing horrible events happening in Nigeria on daily basis and no end in sight. One of the responsibilities of government to the citizens is the SECURITY. I wonder if our leaders realize that without adequate security in the country, nobody is safe. It is important that all political leaders must work together on this critical matter. The safety of all Nigerians should be number one agenda for any leader aspiring to leadership position.