Our Kidnappers Were Preaching To Us, Urged Us To Pray,” Freed Abuja-Kaduna Train Victim Says

One of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack victims, Hassan Aliyu, who was held captive alongside his Pakistani coworker before they were freed following a series of negotiations, claims that while they were being held captive, their kidnappers gave them sermons and urged them to pray.

Aliyu said this during an interview with Daily Trust, adding that he had no issues praying.

“There was no problem about prayers; we were never harassed in any way. It was just the feeling that you were not free because wherever you wanted to go you must take permission. Whatever you want to do you must ask for permission. The only time you don’t ask for permission is when you want to interact among yourselves,” he said.

Aliyu went on to describe how their captors used the Qur’an to preach to them.

He said, “I recall a particular issue where somebody said there was a verse in the Qur’an that, ‘You should call people to religion with wisdom.’ And asked why the kidnappers were doing what they were doing. The preacher replied that there was nowhere two verses collided in the Qur’an. That before anyone is labelled an infidel, such a person must have taught about Islam first.

“We disagreed. It was quite interesting. They would come in the night or during the day and we would interact. They would ask questions or you ask them questions and they would answer happily.”