A teacher rescued from the mass abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Zachery Olatunde, has explained that the pupils were on ankara native attire when the terrorists abducted them alongside their teachers.
Penpushing reports that Olatunde said the abduction took place on Friday, a day designated by the Oyo State government for traditional wear in schools, adding that the kidnappers occasionally washed school uniform of the pupils when they noticed they are dirty and smelling.
The teacher who spent 56 days in captivity with 43 other victims, said explanation became necessary following claims on social media suggesting that the pupils coordinated ankara outfits indicated the kidnapping had been staged.
Penpushing further reports that he dismissed the allegations as baseless emphasizing that the pupils were wearing the clothes they had on when gunmen invaded their schools on Friday, May 15, 2026
“They said the children were wearing matching ankara. Are they not in Oyo State? Don’t they know that the government has ordered that schoolchildren should be wearing native attires on Friday?’, he said
“Primary school pupils in private schools now wear native wears on Friday. We the teachers wore native attire, but secondary school pupils wore school uniform’, the teachers emphasised.
Penpushing further reports that he stated that kidnappers occasionally washed their clothes whenever they became excessively dirty. when they notice that they (abductees) are already smelling
The teacher faulted claim in the social media that the(victims) appeared neat on return, pointing out that a closer look at them showed they are rough and dirty look, citing the teachers’ beard as example of being dirty
“The abductors are the ones that wash the clothes for us a few times while we were in captivity, when they notice that we are already smelling. Don’t they (critics) see how rough and dirty we the teachers were? Didn’t they see how rough our beards were, like that of a bush rat?” Olatunde said.
Penpushing also reports that he equally rejected claims that the abduction was orchestrated, arguing that the deaths recorded during the ordeal were clear evidence that the incident was genuine.
“Those saying the kidnapping was staged don’t know what they are saying. If it was staged, would they have killed two people? If it was staged, what we went through in that place was not good at all,” he said.
Penpushing also reports that Olatunde appealed to members of the public, and urged Nigerians to stop circulating what he described as false narratives about the abduction, affirming that the kidnap was not stage but real
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