Witness Tells Abuja Court How 46 Pupils, Teachers Endured Hunger, Thirst and Brutal Treatment
A survivor of the May 15, 2026 abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has told the Federal High Court in Abuja how the victims spent 56 days in captivity under harsh conditions.
The witness, identified as “AAA” to protect her identity, said the victims were moved through six locations in the bush, often walking barefoot, sleeping on grass and enduring heavy rain and scorching heat.
She said some of the captives were children as young as one-and-a-half years old who endured the same conditions as the adults.
The witness was testifying against five men accused by the Department of State Services (DSS) of belonging to Ansaru, a proscribed terrorist organisation.
She told the court that the abductors stormed the schools on 12 motorcycles, shooting sporadically and preventing pupils and teachers from escaping.
According to her, the victims were taken into the bush, with about four people transported on each motorcycle, while a Toyota car belonging to one of the teachers was also used.
She said the abductors later told the captives that they were not being held for ransom but to pressure the government to release detained members of the group.
The witness said two teachers, Deacon John Olaleye and Michael Oyedokun, were later killed after the abductors accused the government of failing to take their demands seriously.
She also said the kidnappers seized the victims’ phones and used them to contact relatives and government officials during negotiations.
However, the captives faced severe shortages of food and water. The witness said about four people sometimes had to share one cup of water, while their meals consisted mainly of rice, salt and palm oil until the supplies ran out.
She alleged that children were flogged when they struggled for food and that meals were served in a dirty rubber bucket.
The witness said the victims could not bathe or wash their clothes throughout the 56 days and were forced to drink dirty water to survive.
She said their ordeal ended at the sixth camp when security forces engaged the abductors in a gun battle and rescued the captives.
The five defendants are standing trial on seven counts bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, conspiracy, aiding terrorism, concealment of information about an impending terrorist act and the deaths of the two teachers.
The prosecution alleged that Mahmud Muhammad and Abubakar Abbas ordered other members of the group to abduct and kill Nigerians to pressure the government into releasing detained Ansaru members.
The defendants, however, denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to all seven counts.
Justice Salim Ibrahim granted the prosecution’s request for witnesses to testify while wearing masks to protect their identities and ordered that the defendants remain in DSS custody during the trial.
The defence is expected to cross-examine the witness on September 18 as proceedings continue.