A teacher abducted during the attack on schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has given more insights into how he spent 56 days in captivity before he and other victims regained their freedom.
The school counsellor, Olatunde Olutuye Zaccheaus, said he was the last victim seized by the gunmen and also the last person to be released from their custody.
Zaccheaus spoke during an emotional telephone interview on Nigeria Info’s Morning Crossfire programme on Friday, alongside his wife.
His account, particularly the circumstances in which the victims left the kidnappers’ camp, has generated questions over whether they were released following negotiations or rescued during a security operation.
Narrating the day of the attack, Zacchaeus said the first indication of danger was the sound of motorcycles approaching the school.
According to him, gunshots followed almost immediately, throwing pupils and teachers into panic.
“What we just heard was the movement of a bike. Immediately, we heard gunshots. They were shooting sporadically,” he said.
He added that the terrified pupils began shouting warnings as the assailants entered the premises.
“Our students, the voices we were hearing from them, were saying, ‘Bandits, bandits, bandits,’” he recalled.
Zaccheaus said he attempted to escape through a window with some pupils but injured his left leg while landing.
He explained that he had been managing arthritis in the leg before the attack, and the impact worsened his condition.
“When I jumped through the window and wanted to land, I landed on the left leg where I had arthritis. Immediately, I knew there was a problem. I was unable to walk,” he said.
Some pupils initially tried to assist him, but he urged them to flee when it became clear that he could not keep up with them.
“I told them, ‘Please, you go. Don’t worry about me. Let them not capture you,’” Zaccheaus said.
He subsequently hid beneath thick vegetation, covering parts of his body with leaves in an attempt to avoid detection.
Pupil’s Action Exposed Hiding Place
The teacher said one female pupil refused to leave the area despite his pleas. According to him, the attackers’ commander approached the girl, and her reaction inadvertently revealed where he was hiding.
He said, “When he wanted to take the student, the student looked at the position where I was. Their commander also looked in that direction and saw me.
“He opened his mask. He was wondering whether I was a human being or something else. Then he told me to stand up. That was how I was captured.”
Zaccheaus said his capture surprised many in the community, who had initially believed he had escaped and gone into hiding.
“Everybody was saying they trusted me and that they could not capture me. The students were saying they knew I was alive and that nobody captured me,” he said.
He added that the assumption later made it difficult for some people to believe that he had spent the entire period with the abductors.
Victims Barred From Loud Prayers
Although Zacchaeus declined to disclose some details about conditions in captivity, he said the kidnappers communicated in English, Yoruba and other languages.
He said the captors did not appear to be Yoruba despite their ability to speak the language. The teacher also disclosed that the victims were initially prevented from praying openly.
“After a month, they told us we could pray, but we should not call the name of Jesus loudly. Whenever we were praying, we should not pray aloud so that they would not see or hear us,” he said.
Zaccheaus also claimed that his long-standing leg condition improved after the abductors gave him an unidentified medication.
He said, “The leg on which I had spent a lot of money, visited many hospitals and used different medicines, when I complained to them, they gave me one drug.
“When I took the drug, the arthritis went. I stood up.”
He did not identify the medication or explain whether medical professionals had examined him after his release to confirm the improvement.
Captors Announced Freedom
Speaking about the day the victims left the camp, Zaccheaus said the behaviour of the gunmen suddenly changed. According to him, the captors began smiling and told the victims that they had regained their freedom.
“They were laughing and smiling. They said we should thank God that we had been freed. They told us to open our eyes,” he recalled.
He said he and another man had remained blindfolded, handcuffed and chained by the legs until the announcement.
Zaccheaus stated that his release was briefly delayed after the key to his handcuffs broke.
He further stated, “There was no key to remove the handcuff from my hand. That was how I was carrying the handcuff.
“One of them said maybe they should cut off my hand, but another said they should not.”
According to him, the captors eventually used a rope to remove the restraint from his wrist.
The teacher said he became disoriented after the victims were left in the forest and initially walked in the wrong direction.
He claimed that the group’s commander, whom he described as an ISWAP member, called him back at gunpoint and directed him towards the route taken by the others.
The claim about the commander’s identity could not be independently verified.
“He told me to come back. I was afraid that I was alone in the bush. I thought it meant I was going to d!e,” Zaccheaus said.
He explained that the victims trekked for about an hour before reaching motorcycles, which conveyed them towards Kinyere village.
They reportedly continued on foot for another 90 minutes before meeting government security personnel.
Teacher Describes Freedom As Miraculous
Zaccheaus acknowledged the Oyo State Government’s efforts during and after the ordeal, but said the extent of financial assistance to the affected teachers remained uncertain.
He said a private individual gave the victims envelopes while they were receiving treatment in Ibadan.
The teacher added that reports that a vehicle had been promised to the school principal had not been confirmed.
Zaccheaus, who said he had taught at the school for six years, described the incident as the first abduction directly targeting a school in the community, although criminal activity had previously been recorded in the area.
Reflecting on his survival, he attributed the victims’ freedom to divine intervention and public prayers.
“The way we were rescued was miraculous. It was people’s prayers and God’s help. Let me put it that way,” he said.
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