Freed Oyo teacher stirs controversy, says kidnappers released them before soldiers showed up (see video)

• A rescued Oyo teacher says kidnappers released them before security personnel later escorted them home.

• He revealed they spent 56 days blindfolded and claimed their abductors identified themselves as ISWAP members.

• The teacher shared details of harsh conditions in captivity, including no bathing, restricted prayers and basic meals.

• Governor Seyi Makinde has demanded a UN-backed investigation, while the Presidency insists security agencies have already explained the operation.

One of the teachers who regained freedom after spending 56 days in captivity following the abduction of teachers and pupils in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has shared a surprising version of how they got home.

Speaking during a telephone interview on Nigeria Info FM, Zacchaeus Olatunde claimed that contrary to the public impression that security forces rescued them directly from the kidnappers, they were actually released first by their captors before they eventually met government officials.

According to him, the kidnappers informed them they were free and directed them out of the forest.

“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.

Olatunde said they had been blindfolded throughout the 56 days they spent in captivity, making it impossible to know where they were being held.

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“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 claimed the abductors spoke Hausa, Nupe, Yoruba and English, and repeatedly told the captives they were members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and not Boko Haram.

“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.”

The teacher said the kidnappers fed them twice daily throughout their stay, although the meals were basic.

“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.”

“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, life in captivity remained harsh. According to him, the teachers could neither bathe nor wash their clothes during the entire period.

“For the 56 days, we the teachers did not bathe. We did not wash our clothes.”

He also said the kidnappers initially banned them from praying.

“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.”

Olatunde revealed that his release was delayed because the key to his handcuffs broke. He said one of the kidnappers even suggested cutting off his hand before another stopped the idea.

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“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 added that after setting off, the kidnappers' commander called him back at gunpoint, making him fear he would be killed.

“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.”

The freed teacher said the group trekked for nearly an hour before motorcycles provided by the kidnappers transported them closer to a village. From there, they walked for another one and a half hours until they met security personnel.

“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 admitted they were initially afraid of the security personnel because they were speaking Hausa and arrived in buses without number plates.

“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.”

Olatunde also narrated how he helped some of the younger pupils during the difficult 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.”

Recalling the day he was abducted, he said arthritis prevented him from escaping with others.

“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.”

Interestingly, he claimed the medication given to him by the kidnappers unexpectedly relieved the arthritis that had troubled him for years.

“The leg that I had spent so much money treating got better after they gave me one drug.”

Despite surviving the ordeal, Olatunde said he has not received any financial assistance since returning home.

“The utmost support for now should be for my school.”

The teachers and pupils were abducted in May 2026 after armed men invaded schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

After their release, Governor Seyi Makinde confirmed they had regained their freedom after 56 days in captivity. The governor also called for a United Nations-backed investigation into the incident, saying Nigerians deserve to know exactly what happened.

However, the Presidency, through Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, faulted the call, insisting Nigeria's military and security agencies had already explained how the victims regained their freedom.