Captives’ families ask FG to hasten rescue as NRC suspends train’s resumption indefinitely
EMERGENCY DIGEST- The Nigerian Railway Corporation has announced that it is postponing the resumption date for the Abuja Kaduna train services.
This came as families of the abductees welcomed the development and urged the Federal Government to hasten its rescue efforts.
The Deputy Director, Public Relations, at the NRC, Yakub Mahmood, made the announcement of the postponement of the Abuja-Kaduna train service resumption in a statement issued on Friday.
The statement read in part, “Sequel to our earlier Press Release No. 10 dated May 16, 2022 on the above caption, the General Public is kindly invited to note the Nigerian Railway Corporation is announcing a shift in the resumption date for Abuja Kaduna Train services. The Corporation apologizes for the delays in the resumption of the service. A new date will be announced soonest.”
This postponement came after families of kidnapped the Abuja-Kaduna train passengers vowed to picket train stations in Abuja and Kaduna over the planned resumption of activities on the axis.
Read Also:
In a PUNCH report, the spokesperson for the families, Idayat Yusuf, had said the NRC should not dare the families of those abducted by resuming operations in the Abuja-Kaduna train station.
In the latest statement, the NRC said it would continue to cooperate with the Federal Government to ensure security in the railway sector.
The commission also assured the relatives of those in captivity on the account of the attack on AKTS that the Federal Government will ensure the safe rescue of all persons being held, hostage.
Meanwhile, families and friends of the victims of the kidnapped Abuja-Kaduna train passengers have welcomed the suspension of the planned train service along the route by the NRC.
They said the development was good for the country, arguing that there should be no train services along the Abuja-Kaduna route until the abductees were rescued.
The Chairman of the victims’ families, Dr. Abdulfatai Jimoh, conveyed the message of the kidnapped families to Saturday PUNCH in Kaduna on Friday.
Jimoh said, “We are happy that one of the demands (prayers) has been met. We are happy about the development.
“Our next call is for the Federal Government to hasten the rescue of our beloved ones unhurt.”
