Zachery Olatunde, one of the teachers abducted alongside pupils from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area, made the revelation in response to social media claims questioning the authenticity of the victims’ ordeal after they appeared relatively clean following their rescue.
Speaking in a video shared by Oyo Matters, Olatunde explained that the kidnappers washed their clothes whenever they became excessively dirty and they began to smell.
“The abductors are the ones that washed our clothes a few times while we were in captivity whenever they noticed we were already smelling. Didn’t they see how rough and dirty we the teachers were? Didn’t they see how overgrown our beards were, like that of a bush rat?” he said.
He dismissed allegations that the kidnapping was orchestrated, describing them as insensitive and baseless, while pointing to the loss of lives during the ordeal.
“Those saying the kidnapping was staged don’t know what they are saying. If it was staged, would they have killed two people? What we went through in that place was not good at all,” he said.
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Olatunde also addressed criticism over the rescued pupils wearing matching traditional outfits, explaining that they were simply complying with the Oyo State government directive requiring primary school pupils to wear native attire on Fridays.
“They said the children were wearing matching ankara. Are they not in Oyo State? Don’t they know that the government has ordered that school children should wear native attire on Fridays?
“Primary school pupils in private schools now wear native attire on Fridays. We the teachers also wore native attire, while the secondary school pupils wore their school uniforms.”
Appealing to Nigerians to disregard the rumours, Olatunde insisted that the victims endured a traumatic and life-threatening experience. “Those saying it was staged are telling lies. It was not staged. It was real. Please stop spreading those kinds of claims.”
The victims were abducted on May 15, 2026, when armed men attacked Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School in the Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
During the attack, Assistant Headmaster Joel Adesiyan was shot dead while attempting to escape, while Mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun was later beheaded in captivity.
The remaining victims regained their freedom on July 10 following a joint rescue 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 Presidency later confirmed that no ransom or concession was paid to secure their release.
CenturyHerald
