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Rescued Oyo Teacher Claims Kidnappers Freed Victims Before Security Escort, Reveals Shocking 56-Day Ordeal
Rescued Oyo Teacher Claims Kidnappers Freed Victims Before Security Escort, Reveals Shocking 56-Day Ordeal
One of the teachers rescued after spending 56 harrowing days in the custody of kidnappers in Oyo State, Zacchaeus Olatunde, has revealed startling details of the group’s captivity, claiming that the abductors released them on their own before security personnel later escorted them home.
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Speaking during a telephone interview with Nigeria Info FM aired on Friday, Olatunde recounted the traumatic experience of the teachers and pupils abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, describing weeks of fear, uncertainty and survival deep inside an unknown forest.
According to him, the captives were blindfolded throughout their ordeal, leaving them completely unaware of their location.
“It is difficult to say on air, but I will just say what I can. When we were there, we were blindfolded, not an ordinary blindfold. We didn’t even know if we were in Nigeria or another country. We were just there. We were saying maybe the government had even forgotten us.”
Olatunde disclosed that the abductors communicated in Hausa, Nupe, English and Yoruba, insisting that they were members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
“They said they are not Boko Haram. They said they are ISWAP. I was the last person who was captured in the school and I was the last person that was released.”
Despite the uncertainty surrounding their fate, the teacher said hope never completely faded as they believed prayers offered on their behalf would eventually secure their freedom.
“All I can say is that God answered all the prayers that people were praying for us.”
Giving insight into their daily existence in captivity, Olatunde said the kidnappers ensured they received food twice daily but imposed strict controls over their religious activities.
“In terms of feeding, those people really tried for us, to be sincere. Right from the day we were abducted, they told us on the way that if we cooperated and the government cooperated, there would be no problem.”
He added:
“We were fed twice a day, morning and evening. We ate only rice, little beans, onions, margarine and salt. Throughout our stay there, we did not taste pepper.”
The ordeal, however, extended far beyond food deprivation. According to him, the teachers could neither bathe nor wash their clothes throughout the 56 days they remained in captivity.
“For the 56 days, we the teachers did not bathe. We did not wash our clothes.”
Religious worship was also heavily restricted.
“When we got there, they told us not to pray. After about a month, they allowed us to pray, but they warned us not to mention the name of Jesus and not to pray aloud.”
Olatunde said their release came without warning after the kidnappers’ commander informed them they had been set free.
“Until the last day when their commander came and was smiling and laughing and said we should thank God that we had been freed. The next thing they said was that we should open our eyes.”
He explained that he became the last captive to leave because the key to his handcuffs had broken earlier during captivity.
“When they released us, everybody had gone. They said I could not carry the handcuff home because the key had broken. One of them suggested they should cut off my hand, but another said no. They later used a small rope to remove the handcuff.”
His ordeal almost took another frightening turn when he accidentally headed in the wrong direction after leaving the camp.
“Their commander called me back. He pointed a gun at me and said, ‘Come.’ I thought I was going to die because I was the only one left in the bush. He asked where I was going, and when I said I didn’t know, he showed me the correct route and told me to follow where the others had passed.”
According to Olatunde, the freed captives trekked for nearly an hour before motorcycles provided by the kidnappers transported them closer to a nearby village.
“We trekked for about 40 minutes to one hour before they provided motorcycles that took us close to the nearest village. They later stopped and told us they could not go further, so we trekked for another one and a half hours before we got to where the government people who came to rescue us were.”
Even after reaching those who identified themselves as government officials, fear persisted.
“When we saw the buses, we were afraid because the people were speaking Hausa. We even asked them to show us their identity cards. They kept assuring us that the government sent them.
“The buses had no number plates and had Arabic inscriptions. We were afraid they wanted to take us somewhere else.”
During the exhausting journey out of the forest, Olatunde said he helped younger pupils who struggled to continue walking.
“There were some children that could not walk. I carried one little girl on my neck. At the river, I used a stick to check the depth before helping the children and some adults cross safely.”
The teacher also recalled the moment he was captured after being unable to escape because of arthritis in his left leg.
“I had arthritis on my left leg and couldn’t run. I hid under the grass because my clothes blended with it. A student who refused to leave me looked in my direction, and that was how their commander noticed me and ordered me to stand up.”
Ironically, he claimed medication given to him by the kidnappers eased the chronic pain he had battled for years.
“The leg that I had spent so much money treating got better after they gave me one drug.”
Despite surviving the traumatic ordeal, Olatunde disclosed that he had not received any financial support since returning home.
“The utmost support for now should be for my school.”
The teachers and pupils were abducted in May after armed men invaded schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Following their release, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde announced that the victims had regained their freedom after spending 56 days in captivity. The governor also called for a United Nations-backed investigation into the abduction, arguing that Nigerians deserved a full account of the circumstances surrounding the incident, while directing that the rescued victims receive medical treatment and psychosocial support.
However, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, faulted the governor’s call, saying it reflected a lack of confidence in Nigeria’s security institutions. He maintained that the military and other security agencies had already provided explanations regarding the rescue operation.
