Medical doctor freed by Kaduna train bandits recounts experience in captivity

By our reporter| One of the victims released by the Kaduna train bandits on Tuesday, Mustapha Imam, has recounted his terrible experience during his four months sojourn in the forest with the terrorists.

Imam, who spoke shortly after regaining his freedom alongside four other victims, said he treated bandits while in captivity.

Five of the abducted passengers were released earlier on Tuesday, with thirty four others still in captivity.

Speaking via a video shared by Tukur Mamu, publisher of Desert Herald and a leading figure in the negotiations with the terrorists, Imam described his experience in the hands of the abductors as “terrible”.

According to the associate professor of medical biochemistry at the Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, he would not wish his experience on an enemy.

“My experience is terrible. You can see, I just finished shedding tears of joy. I am happy that I am free and would be reunited with my family very very soon,” Imam said.

“The experience I have been through in the last four months is not something that I will wish on my enemy. The situation was really terrible.

“In the last two weeks, we were okay. But for the three and a half months, we were actually very very hungry. There were days we ate once in a day.

“I was the medical doctor in the camp. I was treating captives as well as the bandits.

“There was no medication in the camp. There was a lady who went into coma because there was no medication to treat her of malaria.”

Imam urged the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to do everything possible to facilitate the release of the remaining thirty four victims still in the forest with the terrorists.

“I will like to call on government to take whatever necessary steps to ensure the release of the remaining people,” he added.

Terrorists had on March 28 derailed the Abuja-Kaduna bound train, killing some and abducting scores of passengers.

Tuesday’s release is coming a few days after three other victims abducted from the Kaduna-bound train were freed by the terrorists hours after threatening to kidnap both President Muhammadu Buhari and Kaduna state governor, Nasir el Rufai.