‘Why Kidnapped Oyo Pupils Wore Matching Ankara’ — Teacher Breaks Silence on ‘Staged Abduction’ Claims

• A teacher rescued after spending 56 days in captivity with 43 others has debunked claims that the Oyo school abduction was staged, explaining why the pupils wore matching ankara attire when they regained freedom.

A teacher rescued from the mass abduction of pupils and staff in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Zachery Olatunde, has dismissed claims that the incident was staged, explaining why the rescued pupils were seen wearing matching native attire.

Speaking in a video shared by Oyo Matters, Olatunde said the children were wearing the same clothes they had on when they were kidnapped on Friday, May 15, which happened to be the designated day for traditional wear in many schools across Oyo State.

The clarification follows widespread social media speculation suggesting that the pupils’ coordinated Ankara outfits were evidence that the kidnapping had been orchestrated.

Speaking in Yoruba, later translated into English, Olatunde said the claims were completely false.

“They said the children were wearing matching Ankara. Are they not in Oyo State? Don’t they know that the government has ordered that schoolchildren should be wearing native attire on Fridays?

“Primary school pupils in private schools now wear native wear on Fridays. We the teachers wore native attire, but secondary school pupils wore school uniforms,” he said.

The teacher also addressed questions about why the victims appeared relatively clean after spending 56 days in captivity, revealing that the kidnappers occasionally washed their clothes whenever they became excessively dirty.

“The abductors are the ones that washed the clothes for us a few times while we were in captivity when they noticed that we were already smelling.

“Didn’t they see how rough and dirty we the teachers were? Didn’t they see how rough our beards were, like that of a bush rat?” he said.

Olatunde further rejected suggestions that the abduction was staged, pointing to the deaths recorded during the ordeal as proof that the incident was real.

“Those saying the kidnapping was staged don’t know what they are saying. If it was staged, would they have killed two people? What we went through there was not good at all,” he said.

He appealed to Nigerians to stop spreading what he described as false narratives about the incident.

“Those saying it was staged are all telling lies. It was not staged. It was real. So please stop saying those types of things,” he added.

The Federal Government announced on July 10 that all 44 abducted pupils and teachers from Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School in the Esiele and Yawota communities had been rescued during a coordinated security operation.

The victims were abducted on May 15 when armed men invaded the three schools.

During the attack, Joel Adesiyan, the assistant headmaster of L.A. Primary School, was killed while attempting to escape.

Days later, a Mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was also killed by the kidnappers while in captivity.

The victims were eventually rescued through a joint operation involving the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Amotekun Corps, and local vigilante groups.

The Presidency has maintained that the successful rescue operation was carried out without the payment of ransom or any concession to the abductors.