‘Kidnappers Released Us Before Soldiers Arrived,’ Freed Oyo Teacher Reveals (Video)

• A teacher freed after 56 days in captivity has claimed that kidnappers released him and other abductees before security personnel escorted them home.

One of the teachers rescued after spending 56 days in captivity has claimed that he and the other abductees were released by their kidnappers before they were later escorted home by security personnel.

Speaking during a telephone interview with Nigeria Info FM, Zacchaeus Olatunde recounted his ordeal after he and several teachers and pupils were abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

According to Olatunde, the captives were blindfolded throughout their time in captivity, making it impossible for them to know their exact location.

“We were blindfolded, not an ordinary blindfold. We didn’t even know whether we were in Nigeria or another country. We even thought the government had forgotten us,” he said.

The teacher alleged that the kidnappers communicated in Hausa, Nupe, English and Yoruba, and identified themselves as members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), insisting they were not Boko Haram.

“They said they are not Boko Haram. They said they are ISWAP. I was the last person captured in the school and the last person released,” he added.

Despite the uncertainty, Olatunde said the captives remained hopeful that prayers from Nigerians would eventually secure their freedom.

Describing life in captivity, he said the abductors fed them twice daily with simple meals consisting mainly of rice, beans, onions, margarine and salt, adding that they never ate pepper throughout the 56-day ordeal.

He also revealed that the teachers were not allowed to bathe or wash their clothes during the entire period.

According to him, the kidnappers initially prohibited them from praying but later relaxed the restriction after about a month, warning them not to mention the name of Jesus or pray aloud.

Olatunde said their freedom came unexpectedly when the kidnappers’ commander announced that they had been released.

He explained that he became the last person to leave because a broken handcuff key delayed his release.

“One of them suggested they should cut off my hand because the key had broken, but another refused. They eventually removed the handcuff with a rope,” he recalled.

The teacher further claimed that after all the captives had left, the commander called him back at gunpoint before directing him to the correct route to follow.

According to Olatunde, the freed captives trekked for nearly an hour before motorcycles allegedly provided by the kidnappers transported them close to a nearby village. They then continued trekking for another one and a half hours until they met government officials.

He said they initially feared the security personnel because they spoke Hausa and arrived in buses without number plates.

“We even asked them to show us their identity cards because we were afraid they wanted to take us somewhere else,” he said.

Olatunde also narrated how he helped carry younger pupils across rivers during the journey out of the forest and revealed that arthritis prevented him from escaping when the attack occurred.

Interestingly, he claimed medication given to him by the kidnappers eased the arthritis that had troubled him for years.

Despite returning home safely, the teacher said he had not received any financial assistance from authorities, adding that his greatest concern now is support for his school.

Watch video below:

The people who abducted us 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐔𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐔𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞

~ 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐲𝐨 state 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 says
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