Teacher who spent 56 days in captivity following the abduction of pupils and school workers in Oyo State has claimed that their kidnappers released them from the forest before security personnel escorted them home.
The teacher, Zacchaeus Olatunde, said the captives were blindfolded throughout their ordeal and subjected to difficult living conditions.
According to an account published by Arise News on its Facebook page, Olatunde alleged that the abductors identified themselves as members of the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP.
He said the victims were fed twice daily and were prohibited for several weeks from mentioning the name of Jesus while praying.
Olatunde claimed that the kidnappers’ commander eventually informed the captives that they would be released and directed them to leave the forest.He said the group trekked for several hours before motorcycles allegedly provided by the kidnappers transported them close to a village.
The teacher added that they later encountered security personnel who escorted them home.His account differs from the Federal Government’s earlier statement that the victims were rescued through a joint security operation.
President Bola Tinubu had, in a statement issued on July 10, commended the military, Department of State Services and police for what he described as the successful rescue of the abducted pupils and teachers after 56 days in captivity.The Presidency also said eight suspected abductors were arrested, while others were killed during the operation.
The victims were abducted on May 15 after armed men attacked three schools in communities within the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. Reports indicated that 39 children and several teachers were taken into a forest reserve during the coordinated attacks. At least one teacher was reportedly killed while attempting to protect the pupils.
Olatunde further claimed that he had not received any financial assistance since regaining his freedom.The allegation comes despite a directive from the Presidency that emergency agencies should work with the Oyo State
Government to provide medical treatment and relief support to the freed pupils and teachers.There was no immediate official response to the teacher’s claims concerning the circumstances of the captives’ release or the alleged absence of financial assistance.The identity of the attackers has also remained a subject of conflicting accounts.
While Olatunde said the abductors described themselves as ISWAP members, the Federal Government had linked the attackers to Ansaru, a faction associated with Boko Haram.
The teacher’s account has renewed questions about the exact circumstances surrounding the victims’ return and the assistance provided to survivors after their release.