Families of abducted passengers of the Abuja-Kaduna train have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to rescue their loved ones. They also urged the president to grant the demands of the abductors.

They equally called on presidential aspirants to lend their voices to the rescue of the abductees. The passengers were abducted on March 28. Eight of them died, many were injured and over 60 were abducted.

The family members marched through Abuja streets yesterday and addressed reporters, urging service chiefs and the international community to join in the rescue operation.

They held placards with various messages in English and Hausa demanding the release of the abductees.

Some of them chanted: “All we are saying, free our families; All we are saying, bring back our loved ones.”

Some of their placards read: “Muhammadu Buhari, Save AK9 Abuja-Kaduna train kidnapped passengers now.

“President Buhari, up till now they are yet to comply with your directives. Save our loved ones and Save your citizens from their abductors now!!!”

The representative of the families, Matilda Mohammed said: “The past 59 days have been of unprecedented agony. Although we are hopeful of seeing our loved ones again, yesterday took the wind out of our sails.

Mohammed said the abductors have issued a seven-day ultimatum for their demands to be met or they kill the abducted children with them.

“These are kids between one and 11 years,” she said. “What world is this? What manner of betrayal is this? Where is the humanity in this?

“The whole world seems to have moved on but for us, we still live in the 28th of March. The days might have gone by but we haven’t. And the world shouldn’t.

“The children in captivity have had a major life shift whether we will admit it or not. These are our future tomorrow, and I ask you now, ‘what do you think the future holds for them?’

“We are calling on President Buhari, the service chiefs, the head of security agencies, national and international human rights organisations, to rescue our families.”