11 PASSENGERS ARE RELEASED FROM A NIGERIAN TRAIN ATTACK BY GUNMEN.
Gunmen have freed 11 passengers kidnapped during a train raid in northern Nigeria at the end of March, according to a government minister, however dozens more are believed to still be held captive.
The government was trying to guarantee that all of the kidnapped passengers were freed, according to Gbemisola Saraki, the minister of state for transportation.
The passengers were transferred to an Abuja hospital after being liberated. Saraki did not specify how or where they were released, nor did he mention whether or not a ransom was paid.
On March 28, armed groups known as bandits detonated a bomb on the Abuja-Kaduna line in the country's north and opened fire on a night train, killing eight passengers.
Initially, Nigeria's state railway company claimed it couldn't account for 168 persons who had scheduled to go on the train, according to a passenger record. The majority of the people were eventually found and returned to their homes, but 65 people were reported missing.
Following the release of video by the alleged bandits, a number of persons in captivity identified themselves as train passengers.
"As glad as we are for this wonderful outcome, we are also conscious of the pain of all the victims and their families, who have sadly suffered and continue to suffer unspeakable trauma since the dreadful occurrence," Saraki added.
Hundreds of people have been slaughtered or kidnapped for ransom in northern Nigeria, leaving residents afraid.
On Sunday, President Muhammadu Buhari observed Democracy Day. Nigerians were concerned about escalating insecurity, but President Buhari assured them that his administration was trying to curb it and deliver a peaceful and secure general election in early 2023.
In a televised statement, Buhari stated, "I am living everyday with the pain and anxiety for all those victims and inmates of terrorism and kidnapping."