According to a report by Vanguard News, on Sunday, July 19, 2026, one of the teachers who regained freedom after the mass abduction in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has shared a detailed account of the terrifying experience he and others endured during their 56 days in captivity.
The incident happened on the morning of May 15 when armed men invaded Community High School in Ahoro-Esinle and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School.
The attackers forcefully took away 39 pupils alongside seven teachers, throwing the schools and surrounding communities into confusion and fear.
At the time of the invasion, many pupils were writing their examinations and reportedly shouted, “Bandits, bandits,” as the gunmen stormed the school compounds.
Speaking during an interview with Nigeria Info FM, one of the rescued teachers, Olatunde Zacheus, narrated how the victims were taken deep into the forest immediately after the attack.
He explained that the captives had no idea where they had been taken because they were completely cut off from their surroundings.
According to him, they were not blindfolded in the usual sense, but they were unable to see anything that could reveal their location.
They remained confused throughout their stay and could not even tell whether they had been moved outside Nigeria or kept somewhere within the country.
Zacheus said the uncertainty made life even more difficult because they had no information about what was happening outside the camp.
They did not know whether security agencies were searching for them or whether the government had abandoned efforts to rescue them.
Despite those fears, he said they continued to place their hope in God until they eventually regained their freedom.
He also acknowledged that although they were held against their will, the kidnappers provided them with food throughout their captivity.
According to him, from the very first day they arrived at the camp, the abductors told them that nothing would happen to them if they cooperated and if the government also met their demands.
The teacher described their eventual release as an act of divine intervention rather than something they expected.
He said many people had continued praying for them, and he strongly believed those prayers played a major role in their freedom after spending several weeks in the terrorists’ camp.
He said, “When we got there, they told us that we should not pray. But after a month, they told us that we could pray. However, we should not call the name of Jesus out.”
He explained that despite the restriction, the captives continued praying quietly among themselves, holding on to faith throughout the difficult period.
According to him, things later changed as the days went by.
Zacheus said that on the day they were finally released, the atmosphere in the camp appeared different.
He recalled that the terrorists, including their commander, seemed unusually cheerful. The commander reportedly informed them that they had been set free and even encouraged them to thank God for their release….See_More
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