By Safiyanu Ladan
Nigerian government suspended the Kaduna- Abuja train service operation following an attack by the dreaded Boko Haram Terrorists on 28 March 2022.
The attack in which 12 people were killed and 63 others abducted generated widespread outrage from Nigerians across the country. It also created a sense of fear in the mind of teeming travellers plying the ever-busy road every day that links the section of the northern part of the country with the nation’s seat of power (Abuja).
Some days after the unfortunate incident, the marauding and bloodthirsty terrorists released the Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Agriculture, Alwan Hassan, on health grounds and after ransom was allegedly paid to the terrorists by his family.
In disturbing videos released by the terrorists, they have threatened to kill and sell the remaining captives if the government fails to meet their demands.
The intervention of Malam Tukur Mamu, a Kaduna-based publisher and chief of staff to renowned Islamic scholar Sheikh Dr Ahmad Gumi, saw the release of some of the victims after billions of naira were allegedly paid as ransom to the terrorists.
A heavy price follows the involvement of Mr Mamu as he’s currently languishing in the DSS custody awaiting trial.
In a statement, the Department of State Security said he was deported back to Nigeria from Egypt, where he was arrested and detained for 24 hours, to answer critical questions on ongoing investigations relating to some security matters in parts of the country.
The abrupt cessation of the train service due to the attack has cost Nigeria greatly, as billions of naira were lost. As of August 2022, the federal government has lost over 3 billion naira in revenue since it suspended the train services.
The release of the 23 remaining victims in October this year, facilitated and executed by the military, renewed Nigerians’ hopes for the resumption of the train service.
Through the minister of transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, the Federal government has since announced that the train service will resume this month. Even though he did not reveal the specific date of the resumptions, Nigerians are anxiously waiting for the day.
Given the foregoing, the terrorists’ attack on the Kaduna-Abuja bound train has crippled many business activities and has triggered devastated socioeconomic conditions to many Nigerians whose means of livelihood solely depend on the service of the train.
We await the resumption of the train service before the end of this month. It’s our collective hope and prayer that the federal government is now equipped with adequate measures that will forestall the future occurrence of the sad and avoidable incident.
Safiyanu Ladan writes from Zaria.
