One of the teachers who spent 56 days in kidnappers’ custody in Oyo State has claimed that he and other captives were released by their abductors before security personnel arrived to take them home.
Zacchaeus Olatunde, a teacher rescued alongside pupils abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, shared his experience during a telephone interview with Nigeria Info FM.
Teacher recounts terrifying time in captivity
Olatunde said he and the other captives were blindfolded throughout their stay with the kidnappers, making it impossible for them to know where they were taken.
He said the situation was so uncertain that they began wondering if they had been forgotten.
“It is difficult to say on air, but I will just say what I can. When we were there, we were blindfolded, not an ordinary blindfold. We didn’t even know if we were in Nigeria or another country. We were just there. We were saying maybe the government had even forgotten us,” he said.
The teacher said the abductors spoke Hausa, Nupe, English and Yoruba, adding that they claimed to be members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
“They said they are not Boko Haram. They said they are ISWAP. I was the last person who was captured in the school and I was the last person that was released,” he said.
Captives ate twice daily but faced harsh conditions
Olatunde said the kidnappers provided food for them during the period, although their meals were limited.
He explained that they were given rice, small portions of beans, onions, margarine and salt, adding that they did not taste pepper throughout their captivity.
“In terms of feeding, those people really tried for us, to be sincere. Right from the day we were abducted, they told us on the way that if we cooperated and the government cooperated, there would be no problem,” he said.
He added:
“We were fed twice a day, morning and evening. We ate only rice, little beans, onions, margarine and salt. Throughout our stay there, we did not taste pepper.”
However, he revealed that the teachers endured difficult conditions while in captivity.
“For the 56 days, we the teachers did not bathe. We did not wash our clothes,” he said.
The teacher also said the abductors initially restricted their religious activities.
“When we got there, they told us not to pray. After about a month, they allowed us to pray, but they warned us not to mention the name of Jesus and not to pray aloud,” he said.
How kidnappers released them
Olatunde said their freedom came unexpectedly after the kidnappers’ commander informed them that they had been released.
“Until the last day when their commander came and was smiling and laughing and said we should thank God that we had been freed. The next thing they said was that we should open our eyes,” he said.
He explained that he became the last person to leave because the key to his handcuffs had broken.
“When they released us, everybody had gone. They said I could not carry the handcuff home because the key had broken. One of them suggested they should cut off my hand, but another said no. They later used a small rope to remove the handcuff,” he said.
Olatunde said he later faced another frightening moment when the kidnappers’ commander called him back at gunpoint.
“Their commander called me back. He pointed a gun at me and said, ‘Come.’ I thought I was going to die because I was the only one left in the bush. He asked where I was going, and when I said I didn’t know, he showed me the correct route and told me to follow where the others had passed,” he said.
Journey from forest to freedom
The teacher said the former captives trekked through the forest before they were assisted with motorcycles.
“We trekked for about 40 minutes to one hour before they provided motorcycles that took us close to the nearest village. They later stopped and told us they could not go further, so we trekked for another one and a half hours before we got to where the government people who came to rescue us were,” he said.
He said the group initially feared the people who came to rescue them because of their appearance and language.
“When we saw the buses, we were afraid because the people were speaking Hausa. We even asked them to show us their identity cards. They kept assuring us that the government sent them.
“The buses had no number plates and had Arabic inscriptions. We were afraid they wanted to take us somewhere else,” he said.
Teacher helped pupils escape
Olatunde also recalled how he assisted some younger pupils during their journey out of the forest.
“There were some children that could not walk. I carried one little girl on my neck. At the river, I used a stick to check the depth before helping the children and some adults cross safely,” he said.
He revealed that he was captured after failing to escape because of arthritis in his left leg.
“I had arthritis on my left leg and couldn’t run. I hid under the grass because my clothes blended with it. A student who refused to leave me looked in my direction, and that was how their commander noticed me and ordered me to stand up,” he said.
Olatunde added that he received medication from the kidnappers for his condition.
“The leg that I had spent so much money treating got better after they gave me one drug,” he said.
Teacher appeals for support
Despite returning home safely, Olatunde said he had not received financial assistance.
When asked about support from authorities, he said:
“The utmost support for now should be for my school.”
The teacher and several pupils were abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State before regaining their freedom after 56 days in captivity.
See below;
“Terr%rists released us before soldiers took us home” — Rescued Oyo teacher pic.twitter.com/TQfCDAZOHd
— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) July 19, 2026
