The presidency on Sunday said President Muhammadu Buhari had done all in his power to rescue the abducted Kaduna train passengers languishing in captivity, noting that the efforts could be complemented if the media could stop amplifying materials from the abductors. 

“The President has done all and even more than what is expected of him as Commander-in-Chief by way of morale, materiel and equipment support to the military and expects nothing short of good results in the immediate,” a statement from the presidency said on Sunday night. “To help the nation against the ongoing situation, the media must increase their support for the fight against the exploitation of the internet and social media for terrorist purposes.”

The statement came hours after a video showing the dozens of abducted victims being brutalised by armed bandits dominated media reports. In the video, the victims cried for urgent support for rescue by the Buhari regime and foreign governments four months after their abduction along the Abuja-Kaduna tracks.

Some of the victims were freed after paying heavily, with some individuals reportedly paying as much as $400,000 each to be rescued.

 The Buhari administration has insisted that it’s doing everything possible to free the victims, saying the situation had become more complicated than most Nigerians recognised.

See the presidency’s full statement released by Garba Shehu below: Terrorist activity using propaganda and the use of violence to force governments to accept or submit to political demands is not new all over the world.

The country’s security and defence forces are not clueless or helpless. They have plans and ways of doing things that they will not display in the media.

The dilemmas in dealing with the specific case of train terrorists are manifold: punitive action like the popular call for carpet bombing of the known locations may assuage the desire of an angry public for revenge, but what about the hostages? They have committed no offence. All they did was board a train.

It suffices to say that the security forces are not relenting. They are acutely aware of their duties, responsibilities and what the nation expects of them. Whenever they embark upon those actions, they expect that the public should provide them with the needed support.

Terrorism is a global scourge that must be fought by all actors — the military, the civilian population and the communication service providers. This is the only way safe havens for terrorists are eliminated in every part of the world.

To help the nation against the ongoing situation, the media must increase their support for the fight against the exploitation of the internet and social media for terrorist purposes.

The Presidency, in the meantime, wishes to reassure the public that the President has done all and even more than what is expected of him as Commander-in-Chief by way of morale, materiel and equipment support to the military and expects nothing short of good results in the immediate.