After 56 days in terrorists’ den, commander smiled and told us we were free, says Oriire teacher

A TEACHER who regained freedom after spending 56 days in captivity following the abduction of pupils and staff in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has recounted how the hostages were unexpectedly released by their captors.

Speaking during a live interview on 99.3 Nigeria Info FM, the school counsellor, Olatunde Zachaeus, said the militants’ commander approached the captives in an unusually cheerful mood before announcing that they had been set free.

According to Zachaeus, the armed men began removing the blindfolds and chains from the adult male captives before ordering them to leave the forest. He said his own handcuffs could not initially be unlocked because the key had broken, prompting one militant to suggest cutting off his hands before another eventually succeeded in picking the lock.

“The way we were freed was miraculous. One day, their commander came and they were just laughing and smiling. They said we should thank God that we had been freed. They told us to open our eyes. They removed the blindfold and the handcuff and asked us to go.

“My people had run far by the time my handcuff was removed. I started running in one direction until their commander called me back. He pointed his gun at me and told me to come. I returned, and he directed me to take another route. I obeyed and ran in that direction.”

Zachaeus said the commander accompanied him on foot for between 40 minutes and one hour before they reunited with the other captives. He said the militants later arranged motorcycles to transport them from the forest to the nearest village, where they were instructed to continue the journey on foot.

He said the group trekked for about one and a half hours before arriving at Alawusa, where security personnel sent to receive them were waiting. Along the way, they crossed 2 rivers, with the second overflowing its banks. Zachaeus said he carried several children and some elderly captives across the water and rescued a little girl after she slipped into the river.

The teacher said the ordeal did not immediately end after leaving the forest, as the freed captives initially feared the security team that arrived to evacuate them.

According to him, they became suspicious when they saw a bus with tinted windows and no number plate, while the two security officers on board spoke Hausa. He said the captives feared they might be handed over to another armed group after their abductors had earlier threatened to take them to Mali and sell them.

“I checked the bus’s number plate. I told my principal that I was afraid because the bus had no number plate and its windows were tinted. I even noticed a sticker with Arabic inscriptions. We demanded to see the officers’ identity cards.”

He said the officers contacted another official who spoke to them in English and assured them that the government had sent the rescue team. A second official later addressed them in Yoruba, calming their fears before they were transported back to their school and subsequently taken to Ibadan.

Reflecting on their captivity, Zachaeus said the male hostages remained blindfolded and chained throughout the 56 days and survived on 2 meagre meals each day.

He also recounted the deaths of Vice Principal Michael Oyedokun and teacher John Olaleye, alleging that the militants accused Oyedokun of concealing a mobile phone, while Olaleye was executed as a warning to security forces.

Zachaeus said the abductors insisted they were neither bandits nor members of Boko Haram, but identified themselves as fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

He added that the captives were forbidden from mentioning the name of Jesus or praying aloud, although the militants later allowed them to pray silently whenever conditions became particularly difficult.