PHOTOS: Lawmaker Protests Barefoot, Demands Buhari Secure Release Of Abducted Train Passengers

The lawmaker representing Ede-North/Ede-South/Egbedore/Ejigbo Federal Constituency in Osun State at the House of Representatives, Bamidele Salam, on Wednesday, held a one-man protest against insecurity in Nigeria.

Salam, who was dressed in black, walked barefoot from the Unity Fountain in the Maitama area of the Federal Capital Territory to the National Assembly Complex, with a placard demanding that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) do more to secure the freedom of the abducted victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.

Credit: Leke Baiyewu

TEXT OF A PRESS STATEMENT ON THE KIDNAPPED VICTIMS OF THE KADUNA TRAIN ATTACK BY REPRESENTATIVE BAMIDELE SALAM, MEMBER REPRESENTING EDE NORTH/EDE SOUTH/EGBEDORE/EJIGBO FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY OF OSUN STATE IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

Good morning gentlemen of the press,
I welcome you to this event. This brief is coming at a trying time in our history as a nation.

As an individual I am worried by the turn of events in our dear nation. Our nation is becoming a jungle of sorts where criminals carve out turfs and operate freely without let or hindrance.

One of the key dimensions of this criminality is the unholy practice of kidnapping for ransom, which according reports has spawned a billion naira industry in the last seven years or so.
It is to our embarrassment as a nation that our wives, mothers, fathers, husbands get routinely kidnapped at will by bandits with many of them losing their lives even after the payment of ransom by their families or communities.

Statistics of kidnapping in the country chill the bones. A report by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) shows that from 2018 there has been a steady increase in the number of kidnap victims. The figure rose from 987 victims in 2018 to 1,395 in 2019. In 2021 the figure rose to 2,865 in 2020 and 5,287 in 2021. Of the 2021 figure, more than 2000 were children and young people according to a UN study.

This year alone, several hundred Nigerians have been kidnapped the most harrowing being the attack on a train along the Abuja-Kaduna rail line in Kaduna State on March 28, this year where 168 people were reported kidnapped and eight persons killed including a young doctor due to travel out of the country the very week of the incident. The kidnapped victims of that attack remain in captivity till this moment.

It is not clear how long they will be in captivity. Whether they will remain there like the remnant of the Chibok girls kidnapped in 2014, Leah Sharibu who has been in captivity since February 19, 2018, the Bthel Baptist High School Students held for 10 months and 23 days, the pupils of the Islamiyya School in Katsina in captivity for nine months and 28 days, and the of the FGC Birni Yauri in Kebbi State who spent 11 months and nine days with terrorists, remains to be seen. What is clear is that kidnapping is a clear and present danger to our nation with needless loss of lives with its attendant effect on the national psyche.

A report by Dataphyte reveals that in January this year 915 of the 1486 victims of kidnapping or insecurity, 915 lost their lives.
We clearly cannot continue along this route. The kidnappings and deaths resulting therefrom are a stain on our national conscience.

The Kaduna train kidnap incident itself is a blight not only the efficiency of our security system but a slap on the face of government whose responsibility it is to secure life and property. That such an attack could happen in broad daylight without our security operatives being capable of fending off the bandits, speaks to a defect in our security system.
This defect reflects badly on government.

No government can aspire to legitimacy and relevance if it fails the basic test of ensuring the safety and well-being of the people who elected it into office.
We are at that point today when the Federal Government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari must rise to its full height and exercise leadership. It is trite to remark that the unfettered activities of bandits, terrorists and other criminals has created the impression in the minds of many Nigerians and even foreigners that the Nigerian state is tottering on the brink of collapse.

This impression is re-enforced by the ease with which these criminal elements even take on security operatives. We recall that in August 2021, bandits attacked Nigeria’s elite military institution, the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) killing two officers and abducting another senior officer.

That attack and many others elsewhere have belittled our security agencies and have caused Nigerians to lose faith in the ability of their government to protect their inalienable rights to life and property.

President Buhari must rekindle that confidence and a good place to start would be to work assiduously to secure the release of the kidnapped Kaduna train victims. Reports and video footages emanating from their abductors are not encouraging. The lives of the hostages hang in the balance as the Federal Government seemingly at its wits end, prevaricates on such sensitive matter of national importance.

I know that Mr. President is a very good Muslim and the Prophet Muhammed, Peace be Upon Him said leaders are shepherds and that the Almighty Allah will ask about each of the sheep in our care.

Our Vice President is a good Christian and so he has a lot to learn from how David handled a similar situation in 1st Samuel Chapter 30.
What needs to be done to secure the release of the Kaduna train victims must be done. Too many precious Nigerian lives have been lost to kidnappers and other malevolent individuals to permit these hapless victims of the train hijack to become the latest statistics of a nefarious enterprise that has sullied the national image.

I call on my colleagues in the National Assembly and Nigerians at large to join me in urging President Buhari to do all that is within his power as the Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces to free these victims and many others languishing in captivity.

Thank you.

Signed,
Rep Bamidele Salam
Member, Representing
Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo Constituency of Osun State
June 1, 2022

No need, it's waste of time. Buhari is so føolish.

This one should better take his afari head home before he disappears from the surface of the earth

MonkeyMods:
This one should better take his afari head home before he disappears from the surface of the earth

Why

If the government really care about us, they don't have to wait for someone to protest before they take action

It is only Gumi that can release the captives from the businessmen.

Assalamualaikum brother how are you and family,how's your area,we are seeking for your kind prayers our area is still under siege bandits in dozen have surrounded my area.

ybalogs:
Assalamualaikum brother how are you and family,how's your area,we are seeking for your kind prayers our area is still under siege bandits in dozen have surrounded my area.

From a friend in Sokoto. People keep living in fear in the north and our government is still sleeping. This is sad.

Nwodosis:
It is only Gumi that can release the captives from the businessmen.

Gumi wey don instruct your government as usual on what to do and they are still delaying.

PROGRAMME PROMO

Rep. Bamidele Salam will be featured on AIT’s KAKAKI programme as follows:

Topic: Agitations on the rescue of abducted train passengers
Date: Today, Thursday, 2nd June, 2022
Time: From 7.10am
Join via:
DSTV-253
GoTv-93
Startimes-494

Kindly join and inform others to do so too.
Thank you.

Protest for what?

Rally your fellow house of reps members to pressurise Buhari to act and if he refuses, pass a vote of no confidence on him and impeach him.

More pictures of the protests

More pictures

More pics

A patriot.

This man has earned my respect. We are waiting for that iragbiji criminal to condemn the act of those fulani bandits and their brothers.

Honourable you have spoken well. Alot need to be done. It's looking like we have forgotten them so soon and have continued with our lives.

Your waiting is for only the iragbiji man that means your waiting is biased so you don’t wait for other people from other region , is alright

Appreciated

Some go say why pics but if don't put it on media then no publicity

Lawmakers from Kaduna state will be laughing at the yoruba man now

Lol…Dino do pass this one…you still dey learn work

Anything that would affect all the ministers in the APC government would lead to the quick release of the victims.

APC is a party from HELL
APC supporters are AGENTS OF HELL

#AvoidAPC

Oga resign

That's how it's done in organised society. You're part of the leadership

whenever you see such news, remember Tinubu brought it upon us in 2015 and 2019