Oyo school kidnap victims spent 56 days in bush, DSS witness tells court. 49 students and teachers moved through six camps before rescue.
Oyo school kidnap victims spent 56 days in bush, a DSS witness has told the Federal High Court in Abuja. The witness, identified only as “AAA” to protect her identity, gave the account on Thursday before Justice Salim Ibrahim.
Oyo School Kidnap Victims Spent 56 Days in Bush
She testified against five defendants accused of belonging to the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, also known as the Ansaru group.
The defendants are Mahmud Muhammad (also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar), Abubakar Abbas (Isah Adam or Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri), Abdulrazak Umar (Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (Abu Yunusa Bin Musa) and Shamsu Adamu Sani (Abu Itisar).
Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the witness said armed men invaded the schools on 12 motorcycles. They fired shots to stop students and teachers from escaping before taking them into the bush.
Each motorcycle carried about four victims. In addition, a Toyota car belonging to one of the teachers was used to transport some of the abductees.
Oyo school kidnap victims spent 56 days in bush after the attackers moved them through six different camps. The victims were allegedly forced to remain barefoot, sleep on grass and endure rain and sunshine.
Conditions Faced by the Victims
The witness said the victims included very young children, some about one and a half years old who attended pre-nursery schools.
According to her, the abductors told the victims that the captivity was linked to demands for the release of detained members of their group rather than ransom.
Two teachers, Deacon John Olaleye and Michael Oyedokun, were allegedly taken out on separate occasions and killed. The kidnappers claimed the government was unwilling to meet their demands.
The abductors seized the victims’ phones and used them to communicate with relatives and government officials.
Oyo school kidnap victims spent 56 days in bush under severe shortages of food and water. At one point, four victims had to share a single cup of water.
The abductors initially provided rice, salt and palm oil. However, supplies ran out. “When the salt finished, they gave us rice and palm oil, and when the palm oil also finished, we were left with only white rice,” the witness told the court.
She further said young children were flogged while eating because they struggled to get enough food. The victims were served food in a dirty rubber bucket.
In addition, the abductees were unable to bathe or wash their clothes throughout the captivity. They were forced to drink dirty water. Some had to shut their eyes before drinking because of its appearance.
Rescue and Court Proceedings
The victims were eventually rescued at the sixth camp. Security forces arrived and engaged the alleged kidnappers in a gun battle. As a result, the 56-day ordeal ended.
Oyo school kidnap victims spent 56 days in bush before this rescue. The testimony forms part of the ongoing trial of the five defendants.
Defence counsel Bala Dakum is expected to cross-examine the DSS witness on September 18. Justice Ibrahim ordered that the defendants remain in DSS custody for the duration of the trial.
In the end, the court continues to hear the case as investigators work to establish full accountability for the abduction and captivity.
