By Sani Idris

The Kaduna State government has approved the disbursement of N18 million to families of nine persons killed aboard the ill-fated Abuja-Kaduna train attacked by terrorists.

The Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (KADSEMA), Mr Muhammed Mukaddas, disclosed this on Wednesday in Kaduna.

He said that Gov. Nasir El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State had on April 19 approved disbursement of N2 million each to the families of the deceased in the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.

Mukaddas said that the governor had equally approved the disbursement of N250, 000 each to 22 persons severely wounded during the train attack.

The KADSEMA executive secretary said that the donation was not to compensate the victims, but to support them.

He said that as a humanitarian agency, its mandate was to be amongst first responders during emergencies of all nature.

“369 victims were called and offered opportunities for psychological support, 264 persons accepted the offers and were supported,” the executive secretary added.

Mukaddas recalled that when the incident occurred, the agency immediately alerted senior government officials and then called on relevant stakeholders to join the search, rescue and evacuation mission, including security agencies.

“We secured ambulances and busses for evacuation and moved to the scene. Before arrival, the military had commenced evacuation, we therefore evacuated the dead bodies and a few severely wounded victims and one person that had escaped captivity.

“We deposited the dead at the 44 NARH and others at St. Gerald’s hospital for treatment. We set up a crisis center which availed families of the victims to call for enquiries and also provide relevant information about their missing relatives,” he said.

Mukaddas further said that the agency collaborated with the ministry of health to settle the medical bills of the victims as well as ensured drug and consumables were supplied to both 44 Nigeria Army Reference and St. Gerald’s hospitals.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that bandits on March 28 attacked an Abuja- Kaduna train at Katari, Kaduna State, killing no fewer than eight passengers with several other sustaining injuries while a yet to be ascertained number of other were abducted.

The attack came on the heels of the attack on the Kaduna airport, which has led to the closure of the facility.(NAN)

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