One of the teachers rescued after spending 56 days in captivity following the mass abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has narrated the harrowing conditions they endured, revealing that their captors eventually permitted them to pray—but strictly warned them not to mention the name of Jesus or pray aloud.
Fresh details have emerged from the survivors of the mass abduction that shook Oyo State after one of the rescued teachers opened up about life inside the terrorists’ camp.
Speaking days after regaining freedom, Olatunde Olutuye Zaccheaus, a school counsellor and one of the victims abducted during the May 15 attack on schools in Oriire Local Government Area, described how he and dozens of others lived under constant fear for 56 days, uncertain whether they would ever return home alive.
According to Zaccheaus, the kidnappers initially prohibited all forms of prayer.
After about a month in captivity, the captors relaxed the restriction but imposed strict conditions.
“They told us we could pray, but we should not call the name of Jesus, and we should not pray out loud,” he recalled.
The teacher said despite the restrictions, the victims continued to pray silently, believing God would eventually answer the prayers being offered for them by their families and churches.
Zaccheaus also disclosed that the abductees were kept permanently blindfolded, making it impossible for them to identify where they had been taken.
He said the victims often wondered whether they were still inside Nigeria because they had completely lost their sense of direction after weeks in the forest.
The abductors, he added, communicated in several languages, including Hausa, Yoruba, English and Nupe, while constantly reminding the captives that their fate depended on negotiations with the government.
Recounting the day of the attack, Zaccheaus said he was unable to escape after aggravating an existing arthritis condition while jumping through a classroom window.
He urged his students to leave him behind so they could save themselves, then hid beneath thick vegetation.
However, one of the pupils reportedly looked toward his hiding place after being confronted by the kidnappers, inadvertently exposing his location and leading to his capture.
He eventually became the last victim to be captured and the last to be released.
The teacher said their release came unexpectedly.
According to him, the atmosphere inside the camp suddenly changed when the kidnappers’ commander appeared smiling and informed them they had been freed.
“They said we should thank God that we have been freed.”
He explained that he remained handcuffed longer than the others because the key broke, forcing the kidnappers to improvise before finally releasing him.
Although he declined to reveal operational details of the rescue, he described their freedom as nothing short of miraculous.
The revelations came barely hours after the Federal Government arraigned three suspects in connection with the mass abduction on terrorism-related charges.
Authorities say investigations remain ongoing as security agencies continue efforts to identify and apprehend other members of the criminal network allegedly responsible for the attack.
For Zaccheaus and the other rescued victims, the nightmare may be over, but the memories remain vivid. Their accounts have offered Nigerians a rare glimpse into life inside the kidnappers’ camp while reinforcing calls for stronger security measures to protect schools and vulnerable communities from future attacks.