A teacher who spent 56 days in captivity after being abducted alongside dozens of pupils and fellow staff members in Oyo State has dismissed claims that their ordeal was staged, explaining that kidnappers occasionally washed the victims’ clothes because they had become extremely dirty and smelly during the prolonged captivity.
The teacher, identified as Zachery Olatunde, made the clarification in a video circulated online after some social media users questioned the authenticity of the victims’ captivity following their rescue. According to him, the kidnappers’ decision to wash their clothes was motivated solely by hygiene and should not be interpreted as evidence that the abduction was fabricated.
“We had been wearing the same clothes for several weeks. They became very dirty and started smelling, so the kidnappers occasionally washed them,” Olatunde said, stressing that the victims endured genuine hardship throughout their captivity.
He urged members of the public to refrain from spreading misinformation or making light of the traumatic experience endured by the rescued pupils and teachers.
Olatunde was among the victims abducted on May 15, 2026, when armed gunmen attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, kidnapping dozens of schoolchildren and teachers. One teacher was reportedly killed during the ordeal. The remaining victims regained their freedom after spending 56 days in captivity following a security operation involving Nigerian security forces.
The Federal Government and Oyo State authorities had announced the successful rescue of the victims on July 10, describing the operation as a major breakthrough in efforts to tackle the growing threat of school abductions in Nigeria. Security agencies said several suspects were arrested during the operation, while others were neutralised.
The abduction drew nationwide attention because it occurred in Nigeria’s South-West, a region that has historically recorded fewer mass school kidnappings than the country’s northern states. The incident renewed concerns over the spread of kidnapping for ransom across different parts of the country and prompted calls for stronger security measures to protect schools.
