By Dennis Okechukwu
A witness for the Department of State Services (DSS) has narrated the harrowing conditions endured by 49 students and teachers who were abducted from schools in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State and held captive for 56 days.
The witness, identified in court as “AAA” to protect her identity, gave evidence on Thursday before the Federal High Court in Abuja, describing how the victims were moved between six different locations during their captivity.
She told Justice Salim Ibrahim that the victims were forced to walk barefoot and sleep on grass, exposed to rain and sunshine, until security forces eventually rescued them.
The five defendants standing trial over the alleged abduction are accused of being members of the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU) terrorist group. They are Mahmud Muhammad, also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar; Abubakar Abbas, also known as Isah Adam or Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri; Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, also known as Abu Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar.
Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the DSS witness said the victims included children as young as one and a half years old from pre-nursery schools.
According to her, the attackers stormed the schools on 12 motorcycles on the day of the incident, firing shots and preventing the students and teachers from escaping.
She alleged that the abductors subsequently took the victims into the bush, with about four people carried on each motorcycle. A Toyota vehicle belonging to one of the teachers was also allegedly used to transport some of the victims.
The witness said the leader of the abductors later told them that they were being held as part of efforts to secure the release of detained members of their group, rather than for ransom.
She further alleged that two teachers, Deacon John Olaleye and Michael Oyedokun, were taken out on separate occasions and killed after the abductors claimed the government was not responding to their demands.
The witness also told the court that the kidnappers seized the victims’ phones and allegedly used them to communicate with relatives and government officials.
She described the conditions in captivity as severe, citing hunger and a lack of adequate drinking water. According to her, at one point, about four victims had to share a single cup of water.
She said the victims were initially given rice, salt and palm oil. After the salt was exhausted, she said they were served rice and palm oil, and later only white rice when the palm oil was also depleted.
The witness alleged that the younger children were flogged while eating to prevent them from struggling over the limited food. She added that meals were served in a dirty rubber container.
She further testified that the victims were unable to bathe or wash their clothes throughout the 56-day ordeal.
According to her, the water provided by the abductors was so dirty that the victims had to close their eyes before drinking it, but were forced to consume it to survive.
The witness said the rescue eventually took place at the sixth camp, where security forces engaged the abductors in a gun battle before freeing the victims.
Defence lawyer Bala Dakum is expected to cross-examine the witness on September 18.
Justice Salim Ibrahim has also ordered that the five defendants remain in DSS custody throughout the trial.