“We Had Already Been Released Before the Soldiers Came” — Rescued Teacher Gives Fresh Account of Oyo Kidnapping Ordeal

One of the teachers rescued after the abduction of pupils and staff in Oyo State has claimed that he and the other victims had already been released by their captors before they eventually encountered government rescue officials.

Speaking during a call-in session on Nigeria Info FM, the teacher recounted the final moments before leaving the kidnappers’ camp, revealing that he became the last person to leave after an iron shackle became stuck to his hand.

“When they released us, everybody had gone. One of them said maybe they should cut off my hand. The other said, ‘No, they should not cut off his hand. We will look for a way to remove the anchor.’”

According to him, the kidnappers eventually found a small rope and succeeded in removing the shackle, allowing him to leave the camp.

He said that as he attempted to catch up with the others, the leader of the kidnappers suddenly called him back at gunpoint, leaving him terrified.

However, instead of harming him, the commander reportedly directed him on the route to follow out of the forest. Another teacher then joined him as they made their way through the bush.

The rescued teacher disclosed that they trekked for between 45 minutes and one hour before reaching motorcycles that conveyed them to a nearby village. The journey, however, did not end there.

According to him, the riders eventually stopped about one hour and 30 minutes away, forcing the principal, vice principal, teachers, students and pupils to continue the journey on foot.

“We trekked for one hour 30 minutes before we got to where the government came to rescue us.”

His account suggests that the victims had already been released by the kidnappers and had exited the forest before they eventually met government officials who received them.

As of the time of this report, authorities have not publicly responded to the teacher’s account or clarified the sequence of events surrounding the victims’ release and subsequent rescue.