One of the teachers rescued after spending 56 days in captivity following the abduction of teachers and pupils in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has claimed that their kidnappers released them before security personnel eventually escorted them to safety.
Speaking during a telephone interview on Nigeria Info FM, teacher Zacchaeus Olatunde recounted the group’s ordeal, saying the captives were unexpectedly set free by their abductors before encountering government officials.
According to Olatunde, the victims remained blindfolded throughout their captivity and had no idea where they were being held.
“We were permanently blindfolded. We didn’t even know whether we were still in Nigeria or another country,” he said.
He claimed the kidnappers communicated in Hausa, Nupe, Yoruba and English and identified themselves as members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), insisting they were different from Boko Haram.
Olatunde said the captives survived on two meals a day, consisting mainly of rice, beans, onions, margarine and salt, adding that they never ate pepper during the entire period in captivity.
He also revealed that the teachers were unable to bathe or wash their clothes throughout the 56-day ordeal.
The teacher further alleged that the kidnappers initially banned them from praying before later allowing prayers under strict conditions, including instructing them not to mention the name of Jesus or pray aloud.
According to him, their release came after the kidnappers’ commander informed them they were free and directed them towards an escape route.
Olatunde said the former captives trekked for nearly an hour before motorcycles provided by the abductors took them closer to a nearby village, after which they continued on foot until they met security personnel.
He admitted that the group initially feared the officials because they were speaking Hausa and arrived in buses without registration plates.
“We even asked them to show us their identity cards because we were afraid they wanted to take us somewhere else,” he recalled.
The teacher also narrated how he assisted younger pupils across rivers during the journey out of the forest and explained that arthritis in his left leg prevented him from escaping when the attackers stormed the school.
Interestingly, Olatunde claimed medication given to him by the kidnappers eased the arthritis pain that had troubled him for years.
Despite regaining his freedom, he disclosed that he has not received any financial assistance since returning home, stressing that support should also be extended to his school.
The teachers and pupils were abducted in May after gunmen attacked schools in Oriire Local Government Area. Following their release, Governor Seyi Makinde announced that the victims had regained their freedom after 56 days and directed that they receive medical treatment and psychosocial care.
The governor also called for a United Nations-backed investigation into the incident. However, the Presidency disagreed with the proposal, maintaining that Nigeria’s security agencies had already provided explanations regarding the rescue operation.