Oyo school abduction: DSS witness recounts 56-day ordeal of 49 victims

A survivor of a May 15, 2026 abduction in Oriire Local Government Area, Oyo State, recounted to the Federal High Court in Abuja how victims endured 56 days in captivity. The witness, known as “AAA,” described the grueling conditions they faced, including hunger, thirst, exposure to harsh weather, and brutal treatment. The victims, some as young as one-and-a-half years old, were moved through six different locations, often barefoot and sleeping on grass, exposed to heavy rain and scorching sun.

The abductors, identified as members of the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), a proscribed terrorist organization, moved the victims by motorcycle and car, preventing them from escaping. The witness said the abductors claimed they were not being held for ransom but to pressure the government to release detained Ansaru members.

After negotiations, the captives were left struggling for necessities, with only a cup of water shared among four victims and rice without salt for food. The young children were particularly vulnerable, and the abductors flogged them when they struggled for food. The victims were never able to bathe or wash their clothes during the ordeal.

The water provided by the abductors was described as so dirty that the victims had to close their eyes while drinking it. The witness said the ordeal ended when security forces engaged the kidnappers in a gun battle, rescuing the victims at the sixth camp. The 5 defendants pleaded not guilty to seven counts, including terrorism, kidnapping, conspiracy, aiding terrorism, concealment of information about an impending terrorist act, and the killing of two teachers.

The prosecution alleged that the defendants ordered the kidnapping and killing of Nigerians to compel the government to release detained Ansaru members. Justice Salim Ibrahim ordered the defendants to remain in DSS custody throughout the trial.