Nigeria train attackers release hostage video
Gulf Times
Gunmen who attacked a train in northwest Nigeria and killed eight people have released a video of a bank executive who was among an unspecified number of passengers taken hostage during the assault.
The attack on the train between the capital Abuja and the city of Kaduna last week was a major escalation in violence in northwest Nigeria blamed on heavily armed criminal gangs, known locally as bandits.
The video posted online shows Alwan Ali-Hassan, director of Nigeria's Bank of Industry, flanked by four armed masked men in military uniform facing the camera, calling on authorities to meet the demands of his captors to secure the release of other hostages who "are in a dire situation."
AFP could not independently verify the authenticity of the video but family members confirmed Ali-Hassan was released by the gunmen on Wednesday and that it was him in the video.
