A Pakistani father of one of the victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack has appealed to the Federal Government to safely recover his son from the captivity of the terrorists.
According to a publication on The News International, a Pakistan-based newspaper, on Friday, the father came to know about the abduction of his son, Dr Abuzar Afzal through social media when the terrorists released video statements of kidnapped persons recently.
“Afzal, who is a resident of Multan Zakariyia town, was serving a Nigerian company as General Manager. He has done his PhD in Microbiology from the Faisalabad University.
“Afzal said in his video message that he was abducted on March 28, along with 62 others.
“He said he was in a difficult situation. Afzal has also worked as a sub-inspector with the Anti-Narcotics Force. He resigned from ANF in 2020 and went abroad.
“Talking to The News, his father Muhammad Afzal Sheikh said his son went to Nigeria in 2020 after he received a job offer.
Read Also: Lagos govt against corporal punishment in public schools – Commissioner
“He said they repeatedly tried to contact the Pakistan Embassy in Nigeria and requested the Foreign Ministry for help. A call came from the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday. The FO assured the safe recovery of Afzal who has a wife and two children. He appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to play their role in the safe recovery of his son,” the report stated.
It added that Afzal’s mother, Abida Bibi said the terrorists had threatened to kill her son.
“We will start killing the kidnapped if our members are not released in seven days,” she quoted the terrorists as saying.
The terrorists were reportedly demanding the release of 16 top commanders and sponsors in government custody in exchange for the release of the abducted victims from the derailed train on Monday, March 28, 2022.
However, in a recent publication in a Kaduna-based ‘Desert Herald’ newspaper, whose publisher, Malam Tukur Mamu, is a Media Consultant to a controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, the terrorists amongst other things demanded unconditional release of their children held in an orphanage home in Adamawa State under the strict supervision of the Nigerian Army as well as their detained co-terrorists.
The terrorists also threatened to commence the killing of the abducted passengers in their custody should the Federal Government fails to meet their demands within seven days.
