Zacchaeus Olatunde, one of the victims of the Oyo mass school abduction, says they were released by their abductors, debunking claims that security forces rescued them.

Abducted on May 15, the Oyo schoolchildren and their teachers were freed on June 10, after 56 days in captivity. 

Announcing their release, Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesperson, said, “In the course of the rescue operation, eight of the kidnappers were arrested and are now in SSS custody, while some of them were neutralised.

“There was no quid pro quo in the rescue, as one of the terrorists, a kingpin that the kidnappers demanded his release, is being prosecuted for his atrocities. The security agencies will give a full account soon.”

However, in a phone interview with Nigeria Info FM aired on Friday, Mr Olatunde narrated what the 46 abducted schoolchildren and teachers experienced during 56 days in captivity by terrorists.

He said, “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. 

“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.”

The teacher said he was the last person released among the victims, adding that the commander of their abductors showed him the way out of the forest where they were kept. 

“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,” Mr Olatunde said. 

“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 added.

He said the terrorists also warned them against praying in Jesus’ name while they were in captivity, but fed them twice, in the morning and in the evening. 

“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,” Mr Olatunde said.

Meanwhile, shortly after the release of the schoolchildren and their teachers, Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde held a press conference in which he called on international bodies, including the United Nations, to investigate the abduction, establish the truth, identify lapses that occurred during the incident, and prevent a recurrence.

Mr Makinde said, “The circumstances surrounding this incident are sufficiently grey and unusual to warrant independent scrutiny beyond our domestic institutions.

“I therefore, with a full sense of responsibility, as the Executive Governor of Oyo State, call on the international human rights and accountability mechanisms, including those within the United Nations system, to closely examine the facts surrounding this abduction and the circumstances of its resolution.”