The Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture (BoA), Alwan Ali-Hassan, has been released by terrorists nine days after he was abducted from the Kaduna-bound train attacked in the citadel of Nigeria’s military formations.
Eight passengers were killed in the incident, and several more, including Ali-Hassan, were kidnapped by terrorists.
According to a family source, the BoA boss was released on Wednesday after paying a ransom of about one hundred million naira.
His daughter, Asma Alwan, confirmed his release with a terse message Wednesday evening: “Yes, he has been released.”
The release was also confirmed by a bank employee, who stated that the MD had recovered his freedom and was reunited with his family in Kaduna.
Ali-Hassan would be the first victim to be identified among the more than 160 people still missing aboard the ill-fated train. On March 28, militants detonated a bomb on the Kaduna-bound train from Abuja, between Katari and Rijana, and abducted nearly half of the passengers.
Ali-Hassan and one of his nieces boarded the train. It is unclear whether the niece was also released. Another source close to the family revealed that over N100 million was spent to ensure the bank chief’s release.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government yesterday refuted claims that it was overwhelmed by the country’s growing insecurity.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, announced this while speaking to journalists. He also stated that terrorists who attacked a military base in Birnin-Gwari, Kaduna State, were successfully repelled despite suffering significant fatalities.
Following a meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, Mohammed stated that the details of the terrorists’ casualties were not made public since the military has not been publicizing information of its accomplishments in the war on terrorism.
He, however, blamed the media for providing oxygen for terrorists by publishing their activities on the front pages of their newspapers.
“Unfortunately, it is the story of second-guessing that is going on and we will continue to give relevant information on the progress we’re making in our fight against terrorism. But we can assure you, we’re on top of this matter and in any country in the world, while we are fighting terrorists, the oxygen they need is what is being provided daily today, which is, they want to occupy the front page of every paper.
“They want to carry out spectacular attacks even when they are down. This is where I think we also seek your support in understanding the mentality of terrorists, that even when they are dying, they will look for the soft underbelly that will keep them relevant, and enable them to get more money from their sponsors and support from their sponsors.
“But clearly, the last three, four, five days, the military recorded massive victories against terrorists and bandits, either in the northeast or in the Kaduna and Niger axis.
“Unfortunately, when we inflict these victories on the bandits for many reasons, we do not come out and say we have killed so many because it’s continuous. But very soon, Nigerians would feel the impact of these victories,” he explained.
Mohammed blamed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for laying the foundation for the prevailing hunger being experienced by Nigerians.
Nonetheless, despite the numerous hurdles, the Minister stated that the current administration was doing everything possible to solve the situation.
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