The Kidnappers Started Washing Our Clothes When We Began To Smell; That's Why We Looked Clean When We Were Released — Freed Oyo Teacher

A teacher rescued after spending 56 days in captivity following the abduction of pupils and staff from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has explained why the victims appeared clean when they regained their freedom.

Zachery Olatunde said the terrorists occasionally washed the captives clothes once they began to smell, dismissing claims on social media that their appearance suggested the abduction had been staged.

Olatunde made the remarks in a video shared by Oyo Matters on Thursday, days after he and 43 other captives were rescued from the Old Oyo National Park following a coordinated security operation.

Speaking in Yoruba, Olatunde said the terrorists took responsibility for washing their clothes several times during the 56-day ordeal.

"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?" he said.

He also rejected claims that the abduction was staged, arguing that the deaths recorded during the ordeal proved otherwise.

"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.

Addressing questions over why some of the rescued pupils were seen wearing matching ankara outfits, Olatunde said the clothing complied with an existing Oyo State policy requiring primary school pupils to wear native attire on Fridays.

"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?

"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," he added.

He appealed to Nigerians to stop spreading claims that the incident was fabricated, insisting that the captives endured a traumatic experience.

The victims were abducted on May 15, 2026, when terrorists attacked Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School in the Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area.

During the attack, Assistant Headmaster Joel Adesiyan was killed while attempting to escape. Days later, Mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun was beheaded by the terrorists while in captivity.