Caleb Ifeanyi Onah, PBA Journalism Mentee
Kaduna-based Publisher of Desert Herald, Malam Tukur Mamu, who led Negotiation for release of 11 of the victims Kidnapped during the Abuja-Kaduna Train attack in March has lamented the poor condition of the remaining victims in captivity.
Mamu in an interview with newsmen on Monday said some of them have been bitten by Snake, and infected with other life-threatening illnesses, thereby worsening their health condition, while in the custody of terrorists.
He stated that the remaining Kidnapped victims were also being ravaged by poor nutrition and subjected to various forms of inhuman condition inside the forest.
The publisher who is also a media consultant to the popular Islamic cleric, Sheikh Gummi, urged the government to take the issue more seriously and prioritize their release.
Mamu who disclosed that some of them are vomiting blood, due to illnesses, said “most of the remaining victims of the train attack may hardly survive the next few weeks due to their deteriorating health condition and the inhuman condition they are subjected to in the forest.”
He confirmed that the snakes are many in the forest and mostly appear at night. Some of the hostages he said were victims of their bites. “And the bites as we know can be life-threatening,” he lamented.
“They are exposed to poor sanitary condition and unbearable forest life. Most of the innocent hostages have lately developed series of life-threatening complications with some vomiting even blood,” Mamu stated.
He, however, noted that the victims were not being molested or beaten in any way, but in view of their worsening situation insisted that the government must see the efforts to rescue them as a national emergency if they (government) want most of them to come back alive.
The publisher further said that he will not be part of any engagement towards securing the release of the remaining passenger victims for personal reasons.
“I have done my part in mediating a successful opening and building limited confidence between the government and the abductors coupled with the success of securing the release of the 11 victims,” he added.
While harping on the urgency of the case, Mamu called on security agencies and citizens of goodwill in the country to put all hands-on deck to save the lives of the kidnapped victims, adding that this was no time to politicize issues and that if for any reason the government did not act promptly, they must be prepared to take full responsibility of the consequences thereafter.
He further noted that the aim of creating the awareness was to alert loved ones of the victims and all concerned about the real situation for urgent collective steps to be taken in saving the victims.
The publisher clearly stated that government is the only authority capable enough to end the crisis swiftly, in fact within days or weeks with the right approach. “We have proven that in the release of the 11 victims,”
