Four of the people held hostage by terrorists who bombed Abuja-Kaduna train on March 28 have been freed.
Their freedom came hours after the terrorists released a video showing some of them being flogged and followed by the threat to kill and sell some of them as slaves.
Those said to have been released are Gladys Brumen, Oluwatoyin Ojo, Hassan Lawan, and Ayodeji Oyewumi.
No fewer than 20 persons have been freed while over 30 persons are still being held.
Meanwhile, reacting to the threat by the terrorists, the Presidency had on Sunday declared that terrorists’ use of propaganda and violence to force governments to accept or submit to political demands was not new all over world and that it (government) was doing its best to arrest the situation.
In a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the government said that the country’s security and defense forces were not clueless or helpless.
According to him, they had their plans and ways of doing things which they would not display in the media.
He explained that the dilemmas in dealing with the specific case of train terrorists who issued the threat were manifold.
He assured that the security forces were not relenting.
Said he: “They are acutely aware of their duties, responsibilities and what the nation expects of them. Whenever they embark upon those actions, they expect that the public should provide them with the needed support.”
He added: “The Presidency, in the meantime wishes to reassure the public that the President has done all, and even more than what is expected of him as Commander-in-Chief by way of morale, material and equipment support to the military and expects nothing short of good results in the immediate.”
