Women cooked while men fetched water, freed train captive narrates ordeal

Hassan Aliyu, one of the passengers abducted from a Kaduna-bound train in March, has narrated the ordeal in captivity.

 In an exclusive interview with Daily Trust, Aliyu said throughout the 70 days in captivity, he and others were fed with poorly cooked rice and Tuwo, a local meal.

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 He said while the women among them cooked and washed the utensils, men fetched water and firewood. 

“We only ate to survive, but it was plenty. They fed us very well in terms of quantity. We had rice mixed with palm oil and Maggi. The alternative was tuwon masara,” he said.

 Aliyu added that there was no problem about prayers; they were never harassed in any way. It was just the feeling that they were not free because wherever they wanted to go they must take permission. 

“Whatever you want to do you must ask for permission. The only time you don’t ask for permission is when you want to interact among yourselves.

 “There was nothing like changing clothes because we had one each. They provided detergents and bar soap. We would go to the stream, take bath, wash our clothes, wait for them to dry and come back,” he said. 

When the rain started, Aliyu said there were small structures built with zinc – three or four.

 “We all went there, the women took one, later they built a bigger one. So, if the rains persisted, we slept there.

 “Around six or thereabouts, because it was raining, I thought we might not be going until the following day. But suddenly, there was a command that we should come out. We came out and were taken on motorbikes. We travelled for about six hours at night, crossing rivers; some of them flooded”, he revealed.