One of the surviving teachers abducted during the May 15, 2026 attack on a school in Ori-Ire Local Government Area of Oyo State has given a chilling first-hand account of the 56-day ordeal in captivity, shedding new light on the brutal conditions endured by the victims and the circumstances surrounding the deaths of two of their colleagues.
In an emotional testimony shared after their rescue, Mr. Zachaeus Olatunde recounted how the terrorists held teachers and schoolchildren under harsh conditions, moving them repeatedly through the forests while keeping them chained, handcuffed and blindfolded.
According to him, the abductors, whom he identified as being from the Niger Republic, insisted from the outset that money was not their primary objective. Rather, they repeatedly demanded the release of their imprisoned colleagues and the freedom of members of their families whom they claimed had been arrested by Nigerian security forces.
Mr. Olatunde gave a heartbreaking account of how teacher Mr. Michael Oyedokun lost his life.
He explained that shortly after the victims were taken into the forest, the terrorists ordered everyone to surrender their mobile phones. While the others complied, Mr. Oyedokun apparently still had his phone in his pocket, claiming he had not heard the instruction.
One of the armed men discovered the device while transporting him on a motorcycle and immediately reported the incident to their commander.
According to Mr. Olatunde, the commander became enraged and declared that an example had to be made of the teacher for disobeying a direct order.
The following day, Mr. Oyedokun was led away from the group.
“We heard him crying and pleading as they dragged him away. His voice became fainter until we heard nothing again. That was the last time we heard him alive,” Mr. Olatunde recalled.
He added that a teenage terrorist later returned dancing and celebrating the killing, an incident that left the captives traumatised.
He also narrated how Deacon John Olaleye was executed on June 7 after the terrorists accused the military of advancing too close to their location despite repeated warnings.
Like Mr. Oyedokun, Deacon Olaleye was taken away from the camp before being killed.
The remaining captives only heard his cries from a distance.
Throughout the 56-day captivity, the victims endured severe hardship.
Mr. Olatunde said they were permanently chained and handcuffed, while blindfolds prevented them from seeing where they were being moved.
Even to use the toilet, they had to seek permission from their captors.
“We changed camps several times. Sometimes they beat us with gun butts. Whenever the children made mistakes, we adults were punished alongside them,” he said.
He disclosed that the terrorists strictly observed Islamic prayers and Qur’anic recitations, never missing any of their prayer times.
However, the captives were allegedly prevented from openly praying as Christians.
“They warned us not to pray or call on Jesus. Whenever they discovered we were praying, they beat us severely,” he said.
Food was scarce and basic.
According to him, the victims survived mainly on rice mixed with red palm oil, often without salt or pepper. On rare occasions, the terrorists killed a deer and a grasscutter which were shared among the captives.
Interestingly, Mr. Olatunde observed a noticeable change in the behaviour of their captors after they reportedly learnt that Nigerian security forces had arrested some of their relatives.
He said the terrorists became less brutal and began treating the hostages more humanely.
Eventually, the captives were informed that they would be released.
The terrorists reportedly told them they were being freed because they wanted their own family members released.
Before setting them free, they directed the victims to follow a route that would take them across two streams, assuring them that Nigerian soldiers would be waiting ahead.
“We were very weak. I carried many of the children across because they could barely walk. After crossing the streams, we finally met Nigerian security personnel waiting to receive us,” he said.
Following their evacuation to Ibadan, Mr. Olatunde said military officers showed him photographs of suspected members of the terrorist gang.
He successfully identified one of them and was informed that eight suspects had already been arrested while several others had been neutralised during the security operations.
Despite expressing profound gratitude for surviving the ordeal, Mr. Olatunde said the joy of freedom remained incomplete because two of their colleagues never returned alive.
“We thank God that we survived, but our hearts remain heavy because Mr. Michael Oyedokun and Deacon John Olaleye did not return home with us. We will never forget them.”
His testimony provides one of the most detailed eyewitness accounts yet of the Ori-Ire abduction and offers further insight into the extreme psychological and physical abuse endured by the victims before their eventual release after nearly two months in captivity.
Headlinenews.news Special Investigative Report
