The teacher, Zachery Olatunde, made the clarification in a video released after he and 43 other victims regained their freedom following 56 days in captivity.
He said the explanation became necessary after social media users questioned why the pupils appeared in similar Ankara outfits when they were rescued, suggesting without evidence that the incident had been orchestrated.
According to Olatunde, the children were wearing the same clothes they had on when armed men invaded their schools on Friday, May 15, noting that many private primary schools in Oyo State require pupils to wear native attire every Friday.
He also addressed comments about the victims' appearance after weeks in captivity, revealing that the kidnappers occasionally allowed their clothes to be washed whenever they became excessively dirty.
The teacher said while the pupils looked relatively neat, the physical condition of the teachers, including overgrown beards and worn appearances, reflected the harsh reality of their ordeal.
Rejecting allegations that the abduction was fabricated, Olatunde pointed to the deaths recorded during the incident, insisting that no one would stage such a tragedy.
He appealed to Nigerians to stop spreading misinformation, stressing that the victims endured a traumatic experience that should not be trivialised.
The Federal Government had announced the successful rescue of all 44 abducted pupils and teachers through a coordinated security operation involving the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Amotekun Corps and local vigilante groups.
The victims were kidnapped on May 15 when gunmen attacked Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School in Oriire Local Government Area.
During the attack, Assistant Headmaster Joel Adesiyan was killed while trying to escape, while another victim, Mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun, was later murdered by the kidnappers during the period of captivity.
The Presidency has maintained that the rescue operation was carried out successfully without the payment of ransom or any concession to the abductors.
No comments:
Post a Comment