One of the teachers freed after 56 days in captivity, Zacchaeus Olatunde, has alleged that the kidnappers voluntarily released him and other hostages before security forces arrived to escort them home.
Olatunde made the revelation during a telephone interview with Nigeria Info FM on Friday, while recounting the ordeal of teachers and pupils abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State in May 2026.
The captives were kept blindfolded throughout their detention in what they believed was a forest, with no clear sense of their location. “We didn’t even know if we were in Nigeria or another country,” Olatunde said.
He added that the abductors identified themselves as members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), not Boko Haram, and communicated in Hausa, Nupe, English, and Yoruba.
Despite harsh conditions, including being denied baths or clean clothes for the entire period and initial restrictions on praying the kidnappers fed them twice daily with rice, beans, onions, margarine, and salt.
After about a month, they allowed limited prayers but forbade mentioning Jesus or praying aloud.
Olatunde described their sudden release: The kidnappers’ commander informed them they were free, after which the group was directed out of the camp.
He was the last to leave due to a broken handcuff key. The commander later guided him at gunpoint to the correct route when he got disoriented.
The freed hostages trekked for about an hour before motorcycles arranged by the kidnappers transported them closer to a village.
They continued on foot until they encountered government representatives. Initially fearful of the rescuers who spoke Hausa and arrived in buses without number plates and with Arabic inscriptions the captives demanded identity verification.
Olatunde also shared acts of compassion during the journey, such as carrying a young girl and helping others cross rivers.
He noted that medication given by the kidnappers for his arthritis surprisingly improved his condition.
The abduction involved armed men attacking multiple schools in Oriire, resulting in the deaths of some captives during the ordeal.
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde welcomed the survivors on July 10 and called for a UN-backed investigation into the incident while promising medical and psychosocial support.
Olatunde said he had not yet received any personal financial support from authorities but called for assistance to his school.
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