Buhari pays surprise visit to 23 freed train passengers in Kaduna

President Muhammadu Buhari has paid an unscheduled visit to the freed 23 passengers of the March 28, 2022, Abuja-Kaduna train attack.

How it happened: The president made the surprise stop at the Nigerian Defence Academy hospital, on Thursday, October 6, 2022, after commissioning Cadets of 69 Regular Course (Army, Navy and Air Force) of the NDA, in Afaka, Kaduna State.

This was disclosed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement titled, ‘President Buhari meets freed Kaduna train passengers, thanks Nigerian military for their brave services.’

Victims regain freedom: Buhari's impromptu visit comes barely 24-hours after the captives regained their freedom after spending six months with the terrorists.

Pulse reports that Boko Haram terrorists released the last batch of the train attack victims around 4:pm on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.

Buhari hails military: Reacting to the development, the President said the nation owed the military and all other security and intelligence agencies a debt of gratitude for the successful conduct of the operation that led to the release of the hostages.

He added that the agencies showed outstanding capabilities over the period that the whole world will not fail to take note of.

Those who accompanied Buhari to the hospital were members of the Chief of Defence Staff Action Committee, led by Maj.-Gen. Usman Abdulkadir (retd.), who facilitated the release of the hostages.

Others include the he Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, Maj.-Gen Adamu Jalingo (retd.), Brig.-Gen. Abubakar Sa'ad (retd.), Dr. Murtala Rufai, Ibrahim Abdullahi, Ahmed Magaji and Prof Yusuf Usman who is Secretary of the committee.

Shehu's statement read: “Before boarding NAF 001 back to Abuja from the Kaduna International Airport, Buhari detoured to the hospital, where he also thanked the Nigerian military for their brave services in securing the safe release of the hostages from Boko Haram terrorists.”