Terrorists who kidnapped several passengers during an attack on a Kaduna bound train on Monday March 28, have contacted a number of families of the victims to demand ransom ranging from N5 million to N100 million.
TheCable quoted members of the families who spoke on the condition of anonymity as saying that the ransom demanded by the kidnappers ranges from N5 million to N100 million, depending on the pedigree of the victims, and negotiating power.
“After the attack, my family was worried about the safety of my in-law who was on the train,” a relative of a kidnapped victim told medium.
“We were not sure if she made it out alive, was killed or was abducted. We had no information on her situation for the first few days after the attack.
“The kidnappers later reached out to us to make their demands.”
Another affected person told the medium that although the abductors of his family member demanded an exorbitant amount, the relatives were relieved to learn that the victim was still alive.
Most of the families contacted by the terrorists have been warned against involving security agencies in the situation, Cable reported.
The affected families are said to have begun the process of raising funds to pay the kidnappers and ensure the release of their loved ones.
Alwan Hassan, acting managing director/chief executive officer of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), who was also abducted during the attack regained his freedom on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has said 146 passengers aboard the train cannot be reached through their given telephone numbers.
According to the NRC, 22 passengers are missing while the safety of 186 passengers has been confirmed.
Giving an update on Sunday, Fidet Okhiria, NRC managing director, had said “51 phone numbers on the manifest are either switched off or not reachable since Tuesday morning”.
He said 35 phone numbers “are ringing but no response from the other end” while 60 phone numbers, when called, are said to be non-existent.