“Stop Saying It Was Staged”: Freed Oyo Teacher Reveals Truth Behind 56-Day Ordeal
A teacher who was released with 43 pupils and colleagues after 56 days in captivity has called on Nigerians to refrain from doubting the reality of the children’s ordeal.
One of the teachers abducted from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Zachery Olatunde, said the emotional trauma of the children and teachers who survived the kidnapping has been heightened by the claims on social media that the abductions were orchestrated.
In a video posted after their release, Olatunde said the kidnappers washed the prisoners’ clothes when they got dirty and smelly. This is why, he said, some of the freed pupils looked cleaner after weeks in the forest than many people thought.
He also explained that the children were dressed in matching traditional attire as a result of an existing policy of the Oyo State government that stipulated that children in primary schools should wear traditional attire on Fridays, not as a result of the staging of the release.
Olatunde called on the public to refrain from spreading false information, noting that two teachers were killed in the kidnapping, one of whom was beheaded while being held hostage.
The 44 pupils and teachers were released on July 10 after being abducted on May 15 in the Old Oyo National Park.
Child protection experts state that children who escape kidnapping need compassion, psychosocial support and protection from harmful speculation, and recovery from such traumatic experiences lasts long after the physical release.
