DESPITE spending more than 100 days in captivity, Hassan Usman, one of the released abductees from the Abuja-Kaduna train, has maintained that he still remains a strong supporter of President Buhari.
Usman, a lawyer, and his wife, Amina were among the passengers abducted in an attack on the trrain on March 28.
Hassan was among the several victims seen in a viral video being tortured by the terrorists before his eventual release, alongside two others, on July 25.
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Speaking with The ICIR in an exclusive interview in Kaduna, Usman described his days in the kidnappers’ den as a terrible experience.
“It has been a bitter experience I must say. Since when we were captured, we have to walk a long miles for almost three days before we reached a camp where we were detained for close to four months and being there is a bitter experience actually. Because since we arrived that camp, we have been sleeping on bare ground for most of the time. Come rain, come sunshine, we have been there. Mosquitoes and reptiles and snakes were biting us for a very long time. We have killed more than 10 snakes and some other reptiles like scorpions or what have you.”
He explained that the terrorists said they attacked them to protest for the release of their members who have been detained by the government for several years.
He added that the terrorists said once their demands are met, the rest of the captives would be released.
Hassan noted that even though he is still a strong supporter of Buhari, the President has failed in the area of security.
“I am still a strong supporter of Buhari but in terms of security, I can score this government below average. Because one of their major responsibilities is to see that the lives and property of citizens are being guaranteed by the government. But as it is now, I can say that the government has failed woefully in that area. Despite the huge resources allocated for security in Nigeria, there is nothing to write home about.”
He called on government to secure the release of other victims in captivity noting that the terrorists are becoming more fierce the longer the victims are staying in their camp.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.