Oyo School Kidnap Victims Spent 56 Days In Bush – DSS Witness Tells Court

A witness for the Department of State Services (DSS) has narrated how 49 students and teachers abducted from schools in Oyo State’s Oriire Local Government Area allegedly spent 56 days in captivity before their rescue by security forces.

Naija News reports that the witness, identified as “AAA” to protect her identity, gave the account on Thursday while testifying before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

She told Justice Salim Ibrahim that the victims were moved through six different camps during their captivity and were allegedly forced to remain barefoot while sleeping on grass and enduring exposure to rain and sunshine.

The witness was testifying against five defendants accused of belonging to the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, also known as the Ansaru terrorist group.

The defendants are Mahmud Muhammad, also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar; Abubakar Abbas, alias Isah Adam or Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri; Abdulrazak Umar, alias Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, alias Abu Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, alias Abu Itisar.

Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the witness said the victims were abducted when armed men allegedly invaded their schools on 12 motorcycles.

She said the attackers fired shots to prevent the students and teachers from escaping before taking them into the bush.

According to her, each motorcycle carried about four victims, while a Toyota car belonging to one of the teachers was also used to transport some of the abductees.

She said the abductors later informed the victims that their captivity was linked to demands for the release of detained members of their group rather than the payment of ransom.

The witness said the victims included very young children, some of whom were about one and a half years old and attending pre-nursery schools.

According to the witness, two teachers, Deacon John Olaleye and Michael Oyedokun, were allegedly taken out on separate occasions and killed after the kidnappers claimed that the government was unwilling to meet their demands.

She also told the court that the abductors seized the victims’ phones and used them to communicate with their relatives and government officials.

The witness said the victims were subjected to severe shortages of food and water during their 56-day ordeal. She claimed that at one point, four victims had to share a single cup of water.

The witness said the abductors initially gave the victims rice, salt and palm oil. However, she said their food became increasingly inadequate after the 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,” she told the court.

She further alleged that the young children were flogged while eating because they struggled to get enough food. According to her, the victims were served food in a dirty rubber bucket.

The witness also claimed that the abductees were unable to bathe or wash their clothes throughout their time in captivity. She said they were forced to drink dirty water because they had no alternative.

According to her, some victims had to shut their eyes before drinking the water because of its appearance.

The witness said the victims were eventually rescued at the sixth camp after security forces arrived and engaged the alleged kidnappers in a gun battle.

She said the rescue ended their 56-day ordeal in captivity.

The testimony forms part of the ongoing trial of the five defendants, who are facing allegations linked to the abduction and captivity of the students and teachers.

Meanwhile, defence counsel, Bala Dakum, is expected to cross-examine the DSS witness on September 18.

Justice Ibrahim also ordered that the defendants remain in DSS custody for the duration of the trial.