The Federal Government has assured Nigerians, especially relatives of kidnapped Abuja-Kaduna train attack victims, that negotiation with bandits is ongoing to ensure their safe return.
Mr. Garba Shehu, Special Assistant to President Muahmmadu Buhari on Media and publicity, disclosed this while featuring on Channels TV’s “Politics Today”, on Friday.
Kidnappers had attacked the train, abducted scores, after killing nine, while 26 others were injured.
The train service was to resume on May 23, 2022, after repair to the damaged tracks and other elements have been completed, it has been postponed indefinitely
The position of our government has been to successfully recover victims alive not the return of dead bodies,Shehu said.Considering the pressure from family members of those taken captive.
He said the government had spoken about the fact that negotiations were ongoing, “although a bit difficult, but we hope that we return to normalcy.”
On the measures which the government will adopt inorder to safeguard rail tracks in the country, Shehu said the matter was with the security agencies.
He said there was an improvement in security, adding that the air surveillance had been announced by the former minister of transportation.
He added that the President had okayed electronic monitoring and surveillance and would ensure that there was tracking of far and near of the rail track, not only on Kaduna-Abuja, but Ibadan-Lagos track.
