Some family members of the abducted victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack on Monday blockaded the Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMOT) at the Central Business District, Abuja.
The protesters, who demanded government’s action to free their loved ones abducted by terrorists since March 28, refused barred workers from entering into the ministry’s head office building named Bukar Dipcharima House.
This came after the terrorists released a video where the male victims were being mercilessly flogged.
The families who have been at the ministry since 6 am said they were there to express their frustration over the continued stay of those in captivity.
They vowed not to leave until they were assured of the return of their loved ones.
There was public outrage on Sunday over the brutal whipping of some of the abducted passengers by their captors.
In a viral video posted on social media, the terrorists were seen flogging the male victims who wailed in pain as their female counterparts watched helplessly in horror and fear.
The 10 minutes, 51 seconds video, which was captured on a mobile phone showed a leader of the abducted passengers soliciting the assistance of the United States, the United Kingdom, France and other members of the international community.
The video generated widespread anger from the victims’ families and Nigerians who berated the Federal Government over its failure to rescue the hostages who had been in captivity for about four months.
The terrorists, who were demanding a N100m ransom for each of the 43 abductees, were said to have been annoyed by the delayed payment of the ransom.
As part of their demands, the militants had requested the release of 15 terrorist commanders, including their children detained by the military and an undisclosed amount of cash.
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