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A teacher rescued alongside dozens of pupils abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has explained that the children were wearing matching native attire because they were kidnapped on a Friday, the designated day for traditional wear in many primary schools across the state. Zachery Olatunde said the clarification became necessary after social media users falsely claimed the coordinated outfits suggested the abduction had been staged.
Olatunde, who spent 56 days in captivity with 43 other victims, also addressed questions about why the rescued pupils appeared relatively clean. He revealed that the kidnappers occasionally washed their clothes when they became too dirty, while stressing that both teachers and pupils endured severe hardship throughout the ordeal. He noted that two people lost their lives during the incident, insisting the abduction was real and not a fabricated event.
The victims were abducted on May 15 after gunmen attacked three schools in Oriire LGA and were rescued on July 10 during a joint security operation involving the Nigerian Army, Police, DSS, NSCDC, Amotekun Corps, and local vigilantes. Olatunde appealed to Nigerians to stop spreading misinformation and respect the traumatic experience suffered by the victims and their families.
