The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and hundreds of Abuja-Kaduna train passengers narrowly escaped on Sunday night after suspected kidnappers opened fire on their vehicles as they left the Rigasa station in Kaduna.
According to Daily Nigerian, the kidnappers laid an ambush around Mando area on the cavalcade of vehicles leaving the Rigasa train station, in search of preys to capture around 8:15pm on Sunday.
But no sooner the kidnappers opened fire on the vehicles, the mobile policemen and soldiers arrived the scene in armoured vehicles to disperse the hoodlums.
“We were lucky the police and soldiers are nearby to come our rescue. The minister of Transport Rotimi Amaechi was among the passengers. His convoy had to make a detour onto Rigasa Road,” said a passenger, Musa Lawan, who spoke with Daily Nigerian.
However, in a reaction on his Twitter handle, Amaechi thumbed down the report as ‘fake news”.
”This 👎🏿 is completely concocted”, he wrote.
https://twitter.com/ChibuikeAmaechi/status/1229162469370847232?s=20
But Activist Aisha Yesufu slammed Amaechi stating that he should be ”ashamed” of himself for lying as her relatives were on the said train, and that the minister was spotted running during the attack. She wrote:
“Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi you should be ashamed of yourself. My sister, my brother and my sister-in-law were in that train. When your convoy scattered and you fled like a new born mouse whom water have been poured on, it was witnessed!. GOVERNANCE IS NOT BY LIES & PROPAGANDA!”
https://twitter.com/AishaYesufu/status/1229299030263554048?s=20
When contacted, spokesman for Kaduna Police Command, Mohammed Jalige, said he would make findings and revert.
Meanwhile, Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum had also luckily escaped death as Boko Haram terrorists opened fire on his convoy at Konduga while returning from a trip to Bama local government area of the state.