Boko Haram frees remaining 23 passengers it kidnapped from train in Nigeria

KANO, Nigeria (AA) – Nigeria’s military has secured the release of the remaining 23 passengers who were abducted by Boko Haram during an attack in March on a train in northwestern Nigeria, an official announced Wednesday.

Usman Yusuf, Secretary of the Chief of Defense Staff Action Committee, said the captives were released around 4 p.m. local time (1500GMT) and they have taken custody of them.

Yusuf said the victims were kidnapped by Boko Haram during an attack on a moving passenger train bound for Kaduna on March 28.

The insurgents detonated a bomb on the railway track and opened fire on the train, which was travelling from the capital Abuja to the city of Kaduna, killing some of the passengers and abducting more than 60.

Family members of the abductees had protested many times, demanding the release of their loved ones.

The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) suspended train service on the route, with President Muhammadu Buhari directing security agencies to rescue the victims after he met their families.

Tukur Mamu, who was acting as a negotiator for the release of the captives, was arrested last month in Cairo while on his way to Saudi Arabia and returned to Nigeria.

Nigeria’s secret agency known as the Department of State Services had alleged that Mamu was part of an international terrorist network and used the cover of journalism to perpetrate his deeds.