A teacher rescued after spending 56 days in captivity following the abduction of staff and pupils in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has claimed that the kidnappers released the victims before they were later escorted home by security personnel.
Speaking during a telephone interview, Zacchaeus Olatunde said the abductees remained blindfolded throughout their captivity and had no idea where they were being held.
“We didn’t even know if we were in Nigeria or another country,” he said.
Olatunde said the captives feared they had been abandoned, believing the government had forgotten about them during their ordeal.
According to him, the abductors spoke Hausa, Nupe, English and Yoruba and identified themselves as members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
“They said they are not Boko Haram. They said they are ISWAP,” he recalled.
The teacher said the victims were fed twice daily with meals including rice and beans but were initially prohibited from praying.
He explained that after about a month, the kidnappers relaxed the restriction and allowed them to pray, although they imposed conditions on how prayers were conducted.
“They warned us not to mention the name of Jesus and not to pray aloud,” he said.
Olatunde further claimed that the victims were eventually released after the group’s commander instructed them to thank God for their freedom.
According to him, the freed captives trekked for about an hour before they were transported on motorcycles to an area near a village, where they encountered security personnel who escorted them back to safety.
The account comes days after the Federal Government announced the successful rescue of the pupils and teachers abducted during the attack on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area on 15 May, following a coordinated security operation involving multiple security agencies.
Authorities have not publicly responded to Olatunde’s claim that the kidnappers released the victims before security operatives took them into custody and escorted them home.
