TRAIN ATTACK: Terrorists Open Negotiation With FG, Makes Demand | READ IN FULL

All Facts Newspaper had reported that over 300 passengers were on board during the attack which the minister for transportation, Rotimi Amaechi described as avoidable.

Many sustained injury while others died including a medical doctor, Dr. Chinelo Nwando. The bandits has released series of videos first, showing the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture (BoA), Alwan Ali-Hassan, flanked by the terrorists before his release 'for the sake of Ramadan and his age'.

A more recent video had shown most of the victims in the bush, demanding for the FG to come to their rescue.

In the negotiation ongoing between the FG and the terrorists, they are reportedly demanding for the release of their detained 16 commanders' in exchange for over 100 victims of the attack in their custody.

According to PUNCH, a senior official said the terrorists were being hampered by the arrest of their top commanders, noting that their sources of funding had been greatly impacted by the arrest of their sponsors.

The source revealed;

"The bandits have made contact (with the government) but the issue now involves the Interpol because they have international collaborators. Security operatives are working to identify their connection to Boko Haram.

"The bandits are after their people who are in custody. They are demanding the release of 16 sponsors and commanders in exchange for the abducted train passengers. That's why they said in a video that the government knows what they want."

"We arrested some of their commanders and those sponsoring them in Dubai and Nigeria. We have about 16 commanders and sponsors in custody, so they are demanding their release because their sources of funding are declining. I hope the authorities would not release the commanders and sponsors to them because we are getting information on the bandits from the suspects."

Commenting on the group's threats to kill the hostages, the security officer argued that such an action would not give the bandits what they were demanding from the government.

"If they kill their hostages, they would not achieve what they are looking for. The fact is that they are being starved of funds and that is why they are making the threat and it is also the reason for the attack on the train. They attacked the train just to get government attention and negotiate the release of their commanders and sponsors," he stated.

An intelligence official also corroborated the report that the bandits were demanding the release of commanders and ransom, noting that the marauders had been cooperating with Boko Haram fighters in their attacks in Kaduna, Niger, Zamfara, Katsina and others.

The official noted, "What they want is prisoners exchange and money. It is a lie that they don't want money; they want both money and prisoners exchange. They would release the passengers in exchange for many of their members in custody. They are collaborating with Boko Haram to pool resources together and constitute a bigger security threat to the country."

Efforts to get the reaction of the Military was not successful. As calls to the number of the Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Benard Onyeuko indicated it was not reachable.

He has yet to respond to message sent to him on the matter. However, a military source said the military does not negotiate with bandits

The source said, "It is not our duty to negotiate with the bandits or any other criminal elements. Ours is to fulfill our constitutional duties which we have been doing. "