The victims of the attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train on March 28, 2022, who were later freed, admitted that they were well and that their captors had even killed six cows to feed them during their three months in captivity.
On Saturday, seven victims of the train attack were freed; 44 people, including four youngsters and an 85-year-old lady, remain in the bandits' hideout.
Muhammad Daiyabu, whose pregnant wife had already been freed, spoke to newsmen in Kaduna on behalf of the other victims who had been freed.
He denied claims that the victims had been bitten by snakes and emphasised that they had killed about 10 snakes and two scorpions inside the enclave.
He continued by saying that the report that they had been bitten by snakes was untrue and that the majority of the snakes had been destroyed by their captors.
His mother, who struggles with high blood pressure, "nearly passed out" when she learned that the victims had been bitten by snakes, he said.
He confirmed that one of the abductees was shot accidentally while playing with a gun by one of their captors' kids.
He added that the bullet accidentally struck one of the abductees in the stomach, and that the abductors were very alarmed when it happened and apologised.
False reports, according to Daiyabu, were reported widely in the media and did more harm than good for the captive victims.
He then made a plea to the government to accede to their demands so that the other victims may be set free, stating that the plight of the persons still left in the woods was the most concerning aspect.