A survivor of the Abuja – Kaduna train attack, Maimuna Ibrahim, on Thursday, has narrated her ordeal during the incident that shook the Nation heavily.
In an interview with Arise Television, Maimuna Ibrahim said the train was in motion when they heard a loud sound, which she had cause to believe was a bomb.
According to her, the loud sound was immediately followed by several gunshots that never wanted to stop.
Her words:
“I went to Abuja in the morning, I followed the 6:40 train in the morning to Abuja. I went to submit my CV in one organisation there in Abuja and I followed the 6:27 train; that’s the evening train to come back to Kaduna.
“We were twenty minutes away from Kaduna when the incident happened. As we were moving, we heard something like a bomb, I don’t know if it was really a bomb or something. Then the train didn’t stop immediately. It continues moving, but there were gunshots all over both left and right, the terrorists were busy shooting unstoppable shooting until the train finally stopped and they now off the light in the train but the light, the only light that got up was the one in my coach 20 because I was in coach 20. So, they were busy shooting the windows, they managed to break the windows and they entered.
“I don’t know if it was through the windows or through the door, they entered to coach 17. They abducted many people there but I got shot in my leg I think it was the flying bullet, I didn’t even notice it was a shot as of the time because I did not even feel the pain because of what was going on. I did not even know where I was but I did not notice that it was my leg that got shot. I was thinking maybe it was my neighbour that got shot in the train. We lied down on the floor because the Security in the train asked us to lie down and off our phones that we should not press our phones and we should not talk.
“So, when the terrorists were busy abducting the passengers in coach 17 and the VIP section. I saw them, they were like 3 or 4 in the train but I didn’t know many were outside.”
On how she got to the hospital, the highly traumatised lady said:
“How I got to the hospital was one soldier backed me, he carried me on his back, he carried me on top of the I don’t know if it’s a bridge or… He took me into the car but I was not alone, we were plenty, we were like 15 that they brought us to St. Gerald Hospital.
“My own the bullet did not stay in my leg, it exited through my leg so I was left here in St. Gerald but they took them (other wounded passengers) to 44. I don’t know how they are doing, I don’t know but there was even a pregnant woman; she was shot in her stomach.”
Maimuna Ibrahim, who spoke from her hospital bed, said she was still in fear, adding that she was not in the mood to say whether she would be able to travel by rail anytime soon.
She said that the government has been taking care of their medical bills, as they haven’t spent their own money.
Asked what could be done to restore the confidence of train passengers, she said there was need to improve on security.
