Rescued Oyo Teacher: Kidnappers Freed Us Before Security Forces Escorted Us Home
One of the teachers rescued after spending 56 days in captivity following the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has alleged that their kidnappers released them before security personnel eventually escorted them home.
The teacher, Zacchaeus Olatunde, made the disclosure during a telephone interview with Nigeria Info FM, where he recounted the ordeal he and other captives endured after they were abducted from schools in May.
According to Olatunde, the victims were blindfolded throughout their captivity and had no idea where they were being held.
“We were blindfolded all through. We didn’t even know whether we were still in Nigeria or another country. We just kept hoping and praying that we would be rescued,” he said.
He claimed the abductors spoke Hausa, Nupe, English and Yoruba, and identified themselves as members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), insisting they were not Boko Haram fighters.
Olatunde said the captives were fed twice daily with simple meals of rice, beans, onions, margarine and salt, but were initially prohibited from praying. After about a month, they were allowed to pray under strict conditions, including not mentioning the name of Jesus or praying aloud.
The teacher also revealed that he and the other teachers were unable to bathe or wash their clothes throughout the 56 days they spent in captivity.
Narrating their eventual freedom, Olatunde said the kidnappers’ commander unexpectedly informed them they had been released before directing them to leave the camp.
He explained that because the key to his handcuffs had broken earlier, he became the last person to leave the camp after the kidnappers improvised a way to remove the restraints.
According to him, the freed captives trekked for nearly an hour before motorcycles arranged by the kidnappers conveyed them close to a nearby village. They later continued on foot until they encountered security personnel who eventually escorted them home.
“We were initially afraid because the people we met were speaking Hausa, their buses had no number plates and carried Arabic inscriptions. We even asked them to identify themselves before they assured us they had been sent by the government,” he said.
Olatunde further disclosed that he helped carry younger pupils across rivers during the journey out of the forest, while recalling that he was captured after failing to escape because of arthritis in his left leg.
He added that the kidnappers surprisingly gave him medication that eased the pain in the affected leg.
Despite returning safely, the teacher said he had not received any financial support, stressing that assistance should first be directed towards his school.
The teachers and pupils were abducted in May after armed men attacked schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Following their release after 56 days in captivity, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde confirmed that the victims had regained their freedom. The governor also called for a United Nations-backed investigation into the abduction and directed that the rescued victims receive medical treatment and psychosocial support.
However, the Presidency, through the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, maintained that Nigeria’s security agencies had already provided explanations regarding the operation that led to the victims’ recovery.
