Survivor recounts 56 days of captivity in Oyo abduction

On September 17, 2026, a witness identified as “AAA” testified in the Federal High Court in Abuja regarding the May 15, 2026 abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area, Oyo State. The victims endured 56 days of captivity, suffering from hunger, thirst, and exposure to harsh weather conditions.

The witness recounted that the abductors, associated with the proscribed terrorist organization Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, used motorcycles to transport the victims to six different locations in the bush. The defendants, Mahmud Muhammad, Abubakar Abbas, Abdulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa, and Shamsu Adamu Sani, pleaded not guilty to seven charges.

The witness described how the captives were deprived of food and water, with children as young as one-and-a-half years old facing severe treatment, including beatings for struggling over food. The ordeal escalated when two teachers, Deacon John Olaleye and Michael Oyedokun, were killed by the kidnappers, who claimed the government was not serious about meeting their demands.