One of the teachers rescued after spending 56 days in the custody of kidnappers in Oyo State, Zacchaeus Olatunde, has claimed that he and the other captives were released by their abductors before security personnel eventually escorted them home.
Olatunde made the claim during a telephone interview with Nigeria Info FM aired on Friday while recounting the ordeal of teachers and pupils abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
According to him, the captives were permanently blindfolded throughout their captivity and were unable to determine where they had been taken.
He said the abductors communicated in Hausa, Nupe, English and Yoruba and insisted they were members of the Islamic State West Africa Province. Olatunde said despite the uncertainty, the captives remained hopeful that prayers offered on their behalf would secure their freedom.
Describing conditions in captivity, the teacher said the kidnappers ensured they were fed twice daily but placed strict restrictions on their religious practices.
According to him, teachers were unable to bathe or wash their clothes throughout the 56 days in captivity.
Olatunde also recalled that the kidnappers initially prohibited them from praying. He said their release came unexpectedly after the kidnappers’ commander informed them they were free.
The teacher narrated that because a handcuff key had broken earlier in captivity, he became the last person to leave the camp.
He further claimed that after he attempted to follow the others, the kidnappers’ commander recalled him at gunpoint before directing him to the correct route.
According to Olatunde, the former captives trekked for about an hour before motorcycles provided by the kidnappers transported them close to a nearby village.
The teacher said the group initially feared the security personnel they encountered because they were speaking Hausa and the buses they arrived in lacked number plates.
Olatunde also recounted how he helped younger pupils cross rivers during the journey out of the forest and how he was captured after failing to outrun the attackers because of arthritis in his left leg.
He said he received medication from the kidnappers for the arthritis, claiming it unexpectedly eased the pain. Olatunde further disclosed that, despite returning home safely, he had not received any financial support.
The teachers and pupils were abducted in May after armed men attacked 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 56 days in captivity.
The governor also called for a UN-backed investigation into the abduction, saying Nigerians deserved a full account of the circumstances surrounding the incident, while directing that the rescued victims receive medical attention and psychosocial support.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the governor’s request suggested a lack of confidence in Nigeria’s security institutions, insisting that the military and other security agencies had already provided explanations on the rescue operation.
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