- Gbajabiamila meets families, offers reassurances
The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to quicken action in securing the release of the remaining 51 victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack still held by terrorists.
The Kaduna-bound train was attacked on March 28 this year when the terrorists bombed the rail tracks, resulting in the loss of lives and the kidnapping of 62 passengers.
The attackers had last week released 11 of the victims, leaving 51 still in captivity.
In a resolution the House passed in Abuja on Thursday, the lawmakers urged the Government to expedite steps to secure their release and “all other Nigerians held hostage by bandits across the country.”
At least 11 lawmakers led by Rep. Bamidele Salam, moved the motion, which led to the House resolution.
Among others, the House recommended that “the Federal Government offer assistance to the family members of the kidnapped persons.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the Speaker of the House, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, had met with representatives of the families of the victims at his office in Abuja where the speaker reassured them of the Federal Government’s commitment to end their agony.
Gbajabiamila told them he felt their trauma and shared in their pain, but appealed to them to exercise a little more patience as efforts to secure the release of the victims continued.
“Everything that needs to be done will be done and we will follow through till the very last person is freed”, he added.
On Thursday, as the motion was being moved, the Speaker again appealed to members to take the matter seriously and called on security agencies to step up efforts.
He said, “As a House, we need to put pressure on our security agencies to get these people freed.
“I met with some of the families and friends of the victims yesterday.
“They are really in pain. Let us do our best to support the security agencies to do more to what they are already doing to free these people.”
The family members, who were emotional when they met with Gbajabiamila on Wednesday and continually wept, told the speaker that life had become meaningless since the sad incident occurred.
The motion reads, “The House notes that Section 14(2) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government, Section 17 (2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution further states that the sanctity of the human person shall be recognized and
human dignity maintained and enhanced;
“Also notes that in the last 10 years, Terrorism, Banditry, Kidnappings and other forms of violent crimes have become a security epidemic in different parts of the country;
“Alarmed that according to the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) which reported that since 2018, there has been a rapid increase in kidnapping from 987 victims in 2018 to 1,395 in 2019;
“Also alarmed that the figure of kidnapped persons increased to 2,865 in 2020 and 5,287 in 2021;
“Worried that over 70% of the kidnapped victims are mostly children, women and elderly persons who were violently attacked and captured by criminals in the course of discharging their daily activities on the farms, villages, roads, worship centres and other places;
“Alarmed that a large number of the kidnapped citizens have remained in captivity for years, months and days without any form of help to either release them or provide social, medical or economic support to their grieving family members from the Government;
“Cognisant that some of the unresolved cases of kidnappings include the remnant of 2014 kidnapped Chibok girls, Leah Sharibu in February 2018, the Islamiyya school students kidnapped in Niger State on 30 May 2021, the Bethel Baptist High School Kaduna students kidnapped on July 5, 2021, and the Students of Federal Government College Birnin Yauri students kidnapped on 21 October 2021;
“Also worried that in 2022, there have been over 100 cases of kidnappings and abduction of innocent Nigerians, the most disturbing being the case of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack of March 28, 2022;
“Dismayed that during the train attack, 168 Nigerians were reportedly kidnapped with 8 persons killed, including a young Doctor due to travel out of the country, the week the incident occurred;
“Concerned that the abductors of the train attack recently released pictures and video footages of 62 victims held hostage in terrible, physical and emotional conditions with a threat to kill them if their demands were not met by the Federal Government;
“Also dismayed that the hostages include children aged 2, 5, 7 and 9 years; men with bullet wounds, a victim with an amputated leg; diabetic patients, while others are citizens with various health challenges as well as nursing mothers;
“Aware that the stories told by 11 of the hostages recently released by the kidnappers depict the increasingly deteriorating condition of the remaining hostages who are getting malnourished, emotionally distressed and psychologically traumatized for over 70 days in the forest;
“Concerned that if nothing urgent is done to secure the freedom of victims in captivity across the country, citizens will lose confidence in the government which may embolden criminals and groups to step up acts of
criminality and thus endanger the stability of the nation.”
