An associate of a popular Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, Mallam Tukur Mamu has highlighted reasons why he withdrew from negotiation with terrorists that attacked the Abuja-Kaduna bound train in March 2022.
Naija News recalls that terrorists have just released five more victims of the March 28 attack.
Speaking during an interview with Arise TV on Thursday, Mamu, who has been playing the role of a mediator between the government, the terrorists and their victims, said that he will no longer participate in dialogue with terrorists as his life is in danger.
He stated that he has received threats over his participation in securing the release of the victims amid difficult situations. 
Mamu said he can no longer be involved in the negotiation as he was not receiving the full support of the government, a development he described as dangerous.
Mamu also stressed that no ransom was paid for the freedom of the hostages so far but negotiations and dialogue were instrumental, adding that the government cannot fold its arms while the victims languish in captivity.
He said: “We achieved that through dialogue, thorough negotiation and through the spirit of give and take. No matter what you do, just imagine this is my son or this is my mother or this is my brother spending all this period in captivity.
“I’m under serious pressure from some of them. They think the little we are doing is a show of incapacity of the military, which is not so. We are not criticising the military. We are not criticising the federal government. We are only advising them this is the right step to take especially in this very critical and unpredictable situation.
“I have announced my withdrawal from engaging with these people because I have my reasons. First when you are doing something as an army of one, even if you will succeed, the success will be very little. And in the situation where there is virtually no support from the government and no form of appreciation from the government. And in a situation whereby you are even being threatened in one way or the other, I think the best way in the corrupt system we have (is to withdraw).”
Mamu said he is not pointing fingers at anybody nor is he criticising the security agencies but that what he had seen and the pressure he went through especially in the absence of government support, it will be very dangerous for him to continue with the negotiation.
“One will even risk the tendency of losing his life not from the terrorists of course but from the corrupt society and then the tendency to even blackmail,” Mamu added.
Speaking about the ferocity of the bandits, Mamu said, “They are people with distorted religious beliefs. The blood they shed is even justified as long as you didn’t share their religious belief. Do we allow them until they start killing these people until we act?”
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