One of the teachers rescued after spending 56 days in captivity following the mass abduction of pupils and staff in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has said the victims were released by their captors before they eventually met security operatives.
Speaking during a telephone interview with Nigeria Info FM on Friday, teacher Zacchaeus Olatunde gave a detailed account of the weeks he and other captives spent in the forest.
According to him, the victims were blindfolded throughout their captivity and had no idea where they were being held.
“We didn’t know whether we were still in Nigeria or another country. We were completely cut off and even began to wonder if the government had forgotten us,” he said.
Olatunde said the kidnappers spoke Hausa, Nupe, Yoruba and English and identified themselves as members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), insisting they were not Boko Haram.
He credited the prayers of family members, churches, mosques and other well-wishers for keeping the captives hopeful until they regained their freedom.
The teacher said the victims were fed twice daily with simple meals of rice, beans, onions, margarine and salt. He noted that they were never served pepper throughout the 56 days.
He also revealed that the abductors initially stopped them from praying but later relaxed the restriction after about a month.
“They allowed us to pray, but warned us not to mention the name of Jesus or pray loudly,” he recalled.
Describing the day they regained their freedom, Olatunde said the kidnappers’ commander unexpectedly informed them they could leave.
He explained that he was the last person released because his handcuffs became difficult to remove. While one kidnapper suggested cutting off his hand, another proposed using a rope to free him instead.
After leaving the camp, the victims trekked for nearly an hour before the kidnappers provided motorcycles that took them close to a nearby village. They then continued on foot for another one and a half hours until they encountered security personnel.
According to Olatunde, the victims were initially reluctant to trust the soldiers because they were speaking Hausa and arrived in unmarked buses. He said they demanded proof that the men were genuine security operatives before following them.
He also recalled helping several younger pupils across rivers during the journey out of the forest, carrying one little girl on his shoulders while checking the depth of the water with a stick before assisting the others to cross safely.
Olatunde said arthritis in his left leg prevented him from escaping during the attack on the schools, leading to his capture.
Ironically, he claimed medication given to him by the kidnappers eased the condition after years of unsuccessful treatment.
Despite surviving the ordeal, he said neither he nor the other victims had received financial support, stressing that rebuilding the affected schools and helping those impacted should now be the priority.
The pupils and teachers were abducted in May when heavily armed gunmen stormed schools in Oriire Local Government Area. They regained their freedom after 56 days in captivity.
Governor Seyi Makinde announced their release and directed that all rescued victims receive medical attention and psychosocial support.
He also called for a United Nations-backed investigation into the incident, while the Presidency maintained that security agencies had already provided a full account of the rescue operation.
