National Assembly begs China to rescue abducted train passengers

The National Assembly Joint Committee on Land Transportation has persuaded the Chinese government to assist Nigeria in securing freedom of the victims of Kaduna train attack.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Land Transportation, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, speaking for the committee, during an oversight visit to Obafemi Awolowo Train Station in Ibadan, Oyo State, expressed his displeasure over the continued stay of victims of the attack in kidnappers’ den, 47 days after.

The Senator however called on the Chinese Government to help save the victims in the hands of the bandits.

The lawmaker said the incident has saddened the minds of many Nigerians, especially those who have just started patronizing the railway.

He said it is no big deal for the Chinese government to come to the aid of the country since it was actively involved in the railway projects in the country.

He added that if China could be assisting Russia in its ongoing war with Ukraine, it could also extend the same gesture to Nigeria in the present circumstance.

He said, “Today makes it exactly 47 days that some Nigerians were abducted from the Abuja-Kaduna passenger train, yet nothing has been done to rescue them.

“Yesterday, some of the families of the abducted passengers met with the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and the accusation was that we the lawmakers are not doing anything about rescuing their relatives in captivity.

“What effort is the Chinese Government putting in place to assist the Nigerian Government in rescuing this people? The Chinese Government makes money from the many rail projects that are being handled by the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) here in Nigeria, so asking them to help us is not out of place.

“Nigerians are no longer ready to listen to the number of passengers that has been carried by the trains since they were commissioned. Nigerians are not interested in what has been put in the various stations by the CCECC. What we want to hear now is the effort being put into rescuing those people in captivity.

“If a Chinese national was among those people abducted, we know that the Chinese Government would have come to rescue him.

“I remembered when an American was kidnapped, the Americans came and took him away from where he was held captive. We know that with the level of technology that the Chinese have, even without leaving Beijing, they can help us track where these people are, or even give us enough intelligence that would aid their rescue.

“Imagine one of the abducted passengers giving birth while in captivity. This is unfair to Nigerians. When the Chinese came to help us build tbe trains, we were happy because it changed the way Nigerians use rail transport. However, the March 28 terrorists attack on the Abuja-Kaduna passenger train has succeeded in turning what gave us joy initially to sorrow.”

“This is not an issue about loss of confidence or not. We are talking about human lives in danger. It’s been 47 days, and these people are still in captivity. You cannot compare the technology at the disposal of the Chinese with Nigeria. Even if they won’t show us, let them help us from their base in Beijing,” Buhari added.