Buhari meets families of Nigeria train attack victims

President Muhammadu Buhari has met with the relatives of passengers who were abducted in a train raid in northern Nigeria in late March.

It was the first time that such a meeting between government representatives and the hostage-taker families had taken place.

Rescue efforts, according to Mr. Buhari, are made more difficult by the possibility of collateral harm.

The president stated that getting everyone released safely and without incident was his top priority.

"We have heard various recommendations on the use of fatal military force to free individuals who are still being held captive... That line of action, though, had to be reluctantly abandoned because it was impossible to ensure a good end and minimize potential collateral damage.

Relatives of the captives recently protested in Abuja, the capital, to demand that the government free their loved ones.

At least 31 passengers remain in the hands of their kidnappers, who have threatened to kill them if the government doesn't comply with their demands.

Batch releases of captives have been made by the kidnappers. Seven hostages were released on Wednesday, including a senior citizen and six members of the same family.

Those that were freed described the horrors and suffering they had endured in captivity.