Witness Tells Court Children, Teachers Battled 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 battling hunger, thirst, exposure and harsh treatment.
The witness, identified as “AAA” to protect her identity, said the abductors moved the victims through six locations in the bush, where they slept on grass, often went barefoot and were exposed to heavy rain and intense heat.
She said children as young as one-and-a-half years were among the captives and endured the same conditions as the adults.
The witness gave the testimony while appearing against five men accused by the Department of State Services (DSS) of belonging to Ansaru, a proscribed terrorist organisation.
The defendants are Mahmud Muhammad, Abubakar Abbas, Abdulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa and Shamsu Adamu Sani. They have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), the witness said the abductors stormed the schools on 12 motorcycles, shooting sporadically and preventing pupils and teachers from escaping.
She said the victims were taken into the bush, with some motorcycles carrying about four people each, while a Toyota car belonging to a teacher was also used to transport some of the captives.
According to the witness, the abductors later said the victims were not being held for ransom but to pressure the government to release detained members of Ansaru.
She told the court that two teachers, Deacon John Olaleye and Michael Oyedokun, were later taken away and beheaded after the abductors accused the government of failing to take their demands seriously.
The witness also said the kidnappers seized the victims’ phones and used them to contact relatives and government officials during negotiations.
She described severe shortages of food and water during the 56-day ordeal, saying four victims sometimes had to share a single cup of water.
She said their food initially consisted of rice mixed with salt and palm oil, before they were eventually left with only white rice after the other supplies ran out.
The witness added that the children were sometimes flogged when they struggled for food, while meals were served in a dirty rubber bucket.
She said the victims could not bathe or wash their clothes throughout their captivity and were forced to drink dirty water to survive.
According to her, the ordeal ended at the sixth camp when security forces engaged the abductors in a gun battle and rescued the victims.
The five defendants are facing seven counts bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, conspiracy, aiding terrorism, concealment of information about an impending terrorist act and the alleged killing of the two teachers.
The prosecution alleged that Muhammad and Abbas ordered other members of the group to kidnap and kill Nigerians to pressure the government into releasing detained Ansaru members.
The defendants denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to all seven counts when they were re-arraigned.
Justice Salim Ibrahim granted the prosecution’s request for witnesses to testify while wearing masks and ordered that the defendants remain in DSS custody throughout the trial.
The defence counsel, Bala Dakum, is expected to cross-examine the witness when the case resumes on September 18.