Teacher Dismisses Staging Claims After 56-Day Ordeal
A teacher who regained freedom after spending 56 days in captivity following the abduction of pupils and staff from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has dismissed claims that the incident was staged, explaining why the rescued children were seen wearing matching native attire.
Zachery Olatunde, one of the 44 victims rescued during a security operation, said the pupils were dressed in traditional clothing because they were kidnapped on a Friday, the day designated by the Oyo State Government for primary school pupils in private schools to wear native attire.
Why Rescued Oyo Pupils Wore Ankara
Speaking in a video shared by Oyo Matters, Olatunde said the explanation became necessary after social media users questioned why the children wore coordinated ankara outfits when they were rescued, with some alleging that the abduction had been fabricated.
According to him, the pupils were simply wearing the same clothes they had on when armed men stormed their schools on May 15. “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 attires on Friday? Primary school pupils in private schools now wear native wears on Friday. We the teachers wore native attire, but secondary school pupils wore school uniform,” he said.
Captors Washed Clothes Occasionally
Olatunde also addressed comments suggesting that the victims looked too clean after spending several weeks in the kidnappers' camp. He revealed that the abductors occasionally washed their clothes whenever they became excessively dirty. “The abductors are the ones that wash the clothes for us a few times while we were in captivity, when they notice that we are already smelling. Don’t they (critics) see how rough and dirty we the teachers were? Didn’t they see how rough our beards were, like that of a bush rat?” Olatunde said.
Two Lives Lost Prove Kidnapping Was Real
He rejected suggestions that the kidnapping had been orchestrated, pointing to the loss of two lives during the ordeal as proof that the incident was genuine. “Those saying the kidnapping was staged don’t know what they are saying. If it was staged, would they have killed two people? If it was staged, what we went through in that place was not good at all,” he said.
The teacher appealed to Nigerians to stop spreading misinformation about the incident. “So those that are 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.
How Were Oyo Kidnapping Victims Rescued?
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 through a coordinated operation involving the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Amotekun Corps and local vigilante groups.
The victims were kidnapped on May 15 after gunmen attacked the schools. The assault claimed the life of L.A. Primary School assistant headmaster Joel Adesiyan, while Mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun was later killed during the period of captivity. The Presidency has maintained that the rescue operation was completed without the payment of ransom or any concession to the kidnappers.
