By John Ikani
The Managing Director of Nigeria’s Bank of Agriculture, Alwan Ali-Hassan was on Wednesday set free by terrorists who attacked a Kaduna-bound train, after his family paid N100 million as ransom.
Mr Hassan was released on Wednesday after spending about 10 days in captivity, following his abduction by terrorists who bombed the Kaduna-bound train carrying over 362 passengers on March 28.
The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai has blamed elements from the militant group Boko Haram for the attack.
Several persons were confirmed injured or killed during the incident, while scores were abducted by the gunmen.
The banker in his 60’s was the first captive to be freed.
Although the terrorists had claimed that no ransom was paid in a short video, a source close to the family told newsmen that ransom was paid.
Local online news platform SaharaReporters said the family sold Hassan’s Abuja house to raise the money.
The kidnappers earlier sent the family the video of the harrowing experience Hassan and other 162 captives were facing, to fix the ransom price.
“A few days earlier, they sent the video of their harrowing condition in order to raise their stake. Alwan was always saying ‘give them whatever amount they want”.
“So the family gave them what they insisted on… that is N100million,” said one of the family sources.
Corroborating the narrative, another local media Daily Nigerian reported that the kidnappers first asked the family to take the money to a forest in Katsina on Tuesday before asking them to make a detour to another forest in Kaduna.
The source added that after the family emissaries journeyed for hours in the bush, the gunmen appeared fully armed in their hundreds and collected the money.
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