Terrorists behind the ill-fated Abuja-Kaduna train attack successfully deceived the presidency into releasing the pregnant wife of their commander, a presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, has said.
Shehu, Buhari’s media aide, made the disclosure on Friday while speaking with the Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
It came a day after President Muhammadu Buhari met with the families of passengers still in captivity at the Aso Villa, Abuja.
During his meeting with the families of the abducted passengers, Buhari had told them that he did not want to use force and put the lives of the abductees in jeopardy in securing their freedom. About 31 passengers remain in the custody of the terrorists.
According to Shehu, the terrorists’ leader had demanded the release of his pregnant wife in exchange for the kidnapped passengers, but after the woman was released and even taken to the hospital for safe delivery, the terrorists refused to release the hostages.
Shehu said the commander of the terrorist group had requested that Abuja release his pregnant wife, who had been taken into custody by the Nigerian authorities, as part of the agreement to release the abducted passengers. However, immediately the terrorists’ demand was met, they did not fulfill their promise of releasing the hostages.
Shehu said: “The government even took her to the hospital for safe delivery and she delivered twins.
“The government went further to show him his wife and the twins so that he would believe and see that the mother and the babies were in good condition.
“We then handed over his family to his parents. Unfortunately, after all this, he failed to honour the agreement reached. We were deceived,” he said.
BBC Hausa Service reported that this was not the first time the terrorists had failed to honour such agreements but it was the first time the Nigerian government had come out to tell the world the demands of the terrorists.