By Francis Ekeh

On wednesday the remaining 23 hostages of the Abuja/Kaduna terrorist attack were released by their kidnappers following intervention by the military hierarchy

The release has however shown that contrary to popular belief, the key negotiator Tukur Mamu made fortunes from both the government and families of the victims of the train attack that led to the delay in their release

Over 100 passengers were abducted by terrorists on March 28, after their train was attacked by criminals who killed at least seven persons.

While many hostages had earlier been released through negotiations between the federal government and the terrorists, the release of the remaining hostages took a long time to come.

Not a few blamed the federal government for the delay but the arrest of Tukur Mamu, the lead negotiator between the terrorists and the passengers last month, according to analysts may have led to the breakthrough in securing the release of the hostages more than seven months after.

Mamu, a close associate of Sheik Ahmad Gumi, a popular Islamic cleric in the North was arrested by Egyptian Police on his way to Saudi Arabia last month and has since been flown back to Nigeria to answer questions by the Department of State Services, DSS.

Dailynewscraft gathered that Mamu frustrated the release of the hostages by the terrorists by demanding huge sums of money from the government and their families before their release could be secured.

The detained negotiator has denied any wrongdoing following his arrest.

But speaking after the hostages were released Prof. Usman Yusuf, Secretary, Chief of Defense Staff Action Committee, CDSAC, said the release was not monetized.

Yusuf applauded the efforts of Gen. Lucky Irabor, the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS in securing the release of the hostages and said no ransom was paid to the terrorists.

He said, “I am pleased to announce to the nation and the world that at 1600Hrs. (4:00pm) today, Wednesday 5-10-2022, the seven-man Presidential Committee assembled by the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), General LE O Irabor, secured the release and took custody of all the 23 remaining passengers held hostage by Boko Haram Terrorists following the attack on the Abuja to Kaduna train on 28-3-2022.

“The nation owes a debt of gratitude to the Nigerian Military under the leadership of the CDS who conceived and guided the operation from start to finish. All sister Security Agencies and the Federal Ministry of Transportation contributed immensely to this Operation.

“The unwavering support of the President and Commander in Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR is what made it all possible.

“Members of this Committee are grateful for the rare honour and privilege to be part of this Humanitarian,” Yusuf said.

Manu who is believed to have collected over N2 billion on behalf of the terrorists said after his arrest in September that he has nothing to hide.

“I don’t have anything to hide and I am not afraid of them (DSS). I swear to God, I am not afraid of them. I just want the world to know what is happening,” he said.