Oyo School-Kidnap Survivor Tells Court Victims Spent 56 Days in Captivity
A survivor of the May 15 abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the victims spent 56 days in captivity, enduring hunger, exposure and severe hardship.
The witness, identified in court only as “AAA” to protect her identity, testified on Thursday in the trial of five men accused by the Department of State Services of involvement in the abduction.
The defendants have pleaded not guilty to the amended charges.
According to the witness, the abducted pupils and teachers were moved through six locations in the bush, often barefoot, and slept on grass while exposed to rain and heat.
She also told the court that food and water became scarce during captivity and that the victims were at times given dirty water and plain rice after other supplies ran out.
What the Court Heard
The witness said armed men invaded the schools on motorcycles and forced pupils and teachers into the bush.
She further testified that the kidnappers told the captives they were being held to pressure the government over detained members of Ansaru rather than principally for ransom.
That account remains witness testimony before the court, not an independent judicial finding.
The prosecution has accused the five defendants of terrorism, kidnapping, conspiracy and related offences arising from the attack.
They were re-arraigned on a seven-count amended charge and pleaded not guilty to all counts.
The court has therefore made no finding of guilt.
Justice Salim Ibrahim ordered that the defendants remain in DSS custody during the trial.
According to the witness, security forces eventually rescued the victims after 56 days.
Beyond the Trial
The testimony has renewed attention on the conditions endured by kidnapped children and teachers during prolonged captivity and on the security response during the period they were missing.
Those wider questions remain separate from the criminal allegations now before the court.
For security authorities, the accountability issues include how the victims were moved through multiple locations, what intelligence existed during the 56-day period and how the eventual rescue operation unfolded.
The next legal development is the continuation of proceedings, including further examination and cross-examination of witnesses.
