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The gory details of how the rescued Oriire school abduction victims spent 56 days in kidnappers’ captivity were revealed yesterday.

The accounts were given at the Oyo State Government Secretariat, where the pupils and teachers were handed over to Governor Seyi Makinde by the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Chinedu Nnebeife, in Ibadan.

The Principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Dada, Mrs. Rachael Alamu, recounted how the pupils were repeatedly beaten by the abductors and how the male teachers had their legs chained.

The male teachers were also blindfolded for most of the period.

Makinde, who promised full support for the pupils and teachers, listed the names of the eight people who died during the abduction and rescue operation.

The GOC also recounted the operation that led to the rescue of the victims.

In his broadcast, the governor gave the names of those who died as teachers: Adesiyan Adegboye, Michael Oyedokun and John Olaleye.

The Amotekun operatives were Mrs. Adigun Saibu, Isa Saliu and Rafiu Ayuba.

The military casualties were Lt. F.A. Isaac and an unnamed soldier.

The governor advocated an international probe, involving the United Nations, into the circumstances surrounding the abduction.

Mrs. Alamu told reporters that they were driven into the forest on about 10 motorcycles through rough paths for more than four hours.

‘They brought motorcycles, about 10 of them. So, we were packed there. And we rode for more than four hours on rough paths, but they knew their way,’ the principal narrated.

She added that while in the forest, the abductors occasionally moved them from one location to another whenever they sensed danger.

According to her, the movements sometimes lasted more than 12 hours and, at other times, three or four hours.

‘At one point, the kidnappers started moving us from one point to another. That was a major problem we had because the movements used to start around 7 a.m. and end around 8 p.m.

‘Sometimes, we walked for three or four hours. That is what caused most of the bruises you see on our bodies,’ she added.

Asked how the children coped during such movements, she responded: ‘The girls, that is, my secondary school girls, used to carry them: Salam, Waliyat and Testimony. The other ones walked. We used to fall sometimes.’

According to her, the children were beaten by the kidnappers for making noise because the abductors believed noise would attract attention.

She added that the male teachers were blindfolded and had their legs chained for most of the period.

She, however, ruled out any molestation of the women by the abductors.

Mrs. Alamu described the executions as a calculated strategy to terrorise the captives and force concessions from the authorities.

Recounting their ordeal, the visibly emotional principal said the kidnappers subjected them to relentless psychological torture in addition to the physical hardship they endured in the forest.

According to her, the first victim, identified as Mr. Michael Oyedokun, was killed on the second day of their captivity.

Another teacher, identified as Deacon Adesiyan Adegboye, was executed on the first Sunday in June.

She said: ‘Mr. Michael was killed on the second day of our stay, but Deacon was killed on the first Sunday of June.

‘They killed them purposely because they felt that would force the hand of the government to give them whatever they wanted.’

Mrs. Alamu said the kidnappers repeatedly told the captives that they had been abandoned and that the government no longer cared about their fate.

‘So many times they used fear to subdue us. At one point, they told us that the government would not be interested in our case again because they did not value us,’ she said.

Despite the intimidation, she said the victims refused to give up hope, drawing strength from their faith and the belief that people were praying for their safe return.

Pic.7. Senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District, Sen. Sharafadeen Alli, during his visit to the rescued Orire victims at the Military Hospital 2 Div. Ibadan on Monday (23/727). 0106/MON/JUNE/JULY/13/2026/Ester Bode-Are/JAU/NAN

‘It was not until we got out that we discovered that the whole world was interested in our case. We thought that we were a write-off,’ she said.

Expressing appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Makinde, the military and other security agencies, Mrs. Alamu acknowledged that although they had regained their freedom, the emotional scars of the experience would take time to heal.

‘We have scars already. We believe that with time, we will heal. We pray that God will console the families of those who lost their lives,’ she said.

Major General Nnebeife formally handed over the rescued victims to the Oyo State Government.

He said the operation succeeded after security forces abandoned a direct pursuit of the kidnappers and instead dismantled their logistics and supply network.

According to him, troops were mobilised immediately after the abduction on May 15 and initially combed the thick forests within the Old Oyo National Park alongside local hunters and Amotekun operatives.

The terrain, he said, made aerial surveillance difficult because the dense forest canopy prevented drones and aircraft from effectively locating the abductors.

‘Because of the nature of the forest and how thick it is, there were places where even rays of sunlight could hardly penetrate,’ he said.

The GOC said the military thereafter adopted a different strategy involving the Office of the National Security Adviser, Defence Headquarters Special Forces, the Nigerian Air Force, the Navy’s Special Boat Service, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies.

He said operatives tracked gang members and their collaborators across several states, including Adamawa and Kano, before identifying and shutting down the kidnappers’ major logistics base at Ashamu in Oyo State.

According to him, cutting off food supplies and other logistics forced the abductors to release the victims unconditionally.

Nnebeife reiterated the military’s policy against negotiating with terrorists.

‘We will never yield to terrorists’ requests. We will never do that,’ he said.

The GOC, however, said intelligence gathered during the operation indicated that some local vigilantes and hunters compromised security efforts by collaborating with criminals.

He said the military would work with the state to reorganise local security structures to eliminate such infiltration.

Makinde thanked President Tinubu, the military and other security agencies for the successful operation.

He assured the rescued teachers and pupils that the state government would support their rehabilitation and ensure that neither their education nor careers suffered because of the abduction.

‘To the teachers and the pupils, I know it is a long road to recovery. What you have passed through in 56 days, we cannot undo in 56 months.

‘But I want to assure you that the state government will do everything possible to ensure there is no disruption to your careers and no disruption to the education of those students,’ he said.

Makinde said the victims had been placed under the care of a medical team headed by former University College Hospital (UCH) Chief Medical Director, Prof. Temitope Alonge.

He said they would undergo comprehensive medical and psychological evaluation for between 24 and 48 hours before being reunited with their families.

The governor added that although one of the affected schools is privately owned, the government would engage its management to ensure that the students and teachers resume their normal lives without avoidable setbacks.

The rescued victims were later moved to the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, for further medical attention and monitoring.

The Grassroots Mobilisation Initiative (GMI) applauded President Tinubu and the security agencies for the successful rescue of the pupils and teachers.

In a statement by its National Coordinator, Samaila Musa, GMI commended President Tinubu for the strategic leadership that made the operation possible.

Musa lauded the joint security team for their professionalism, planning and courage in ensuring the victims were rescued alive and unharmed, and cautioned against politicising security operations, stressing that intelligence-led missions require confidentiality rather than public pressure.

The Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers also commended Tinubu over the rescue, describing it as a significant breakthrough in the fight against kidnapping.

In a statement by its Chairman, Oba Adejimi Adu Alagbado, the council said the operation demonstrated the Federal Government’s renewed commitment to tackling insecurity through decisive military action and praised the Armed Forces’ intelligence capabilities and operational expertise.

Alagbado urged Tinubu to prevail on governors who negotiate with or pay ransom to kidnappers and terrorists to discontinue the practice, saying the Federal Government should instead sustain military deployment and intelligence-driven operations in affected areas.

He called on Nigerians to support the government and security agencies in denying criminal groups havens.

Makinde demands UN probe

Makinde demanded an international investigation into the circumstances surrounding the abduction and rescue of the schoolchildren and teachers.

The governor declared that the incident was too grave to be left solely to local investigators.

He called on global bodies, including the United Nations, to step in and scrutinise the entire timeline of the crisis.

The governor made the call in a broadcast.

Makinde said: ‘The circumstances surrounding this incident are sufficiently grave and unusual to warrant independent scrutiny beyond our domestic institutions.

‘I therefore, with a full sense of responsibility as the Executive Governor of Oyo State, call on the appropriate international human rights and accountability mechanisms, including those within the United Nations system, to closely examine the facts surrounding this abduction and the circumstances of its resolution.’

He emphasised that the foreign probe was not meant to undermine Nigerian institutions but rather to ensure that ‘every person found to bear responsibility, regardless of office, influence or affiliation, will be held accountable.’

The governor openly challenged the federal security apparatus, noting that under the Constitution, the primary responsibility for national security rests with the Federal Government.

He insisted that citizens deserve a transparent account of the security lapse, raising questions about whether there was ‘negligence or collusion at any level.’

Makinde said the state would immediately assert control over access routes to the Old Oyo National Park.

While the broadcast was triggered by the relief of reuniting the kidnapped children and teachers with their families, the tone remained heavy with the memory of those who did not survive.

Makinde paid tribute to the slain teachers, military personnel and Amotekun operatives who paid the supreme price.

Insisting that the return of the victims marks the beginning of a rigorous pursuit of the truth rather than the end of the crisis, Makinde reassured anxious parents across the state that his administration would not relent until justice is served, framing the fight as one for the soul of public safety and institutional integrity.

Director-General of the phantom federal agency under probe by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew billed for arraignment on criminal charges today in Abuja may not show up in court.

This is going by the indication he gave last night on a television programme when he alleged from his hideout that his life is at risk.

Following the investigation into the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), the police filed charges of forgery, criminal conspiracy, impersonation, among others against Matthew before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The case is coming up today.

Matthew, who spoke on a Channel Television programme via zoon, said instead of ICPC probe as directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he would prefer an independent panel with international membership to probe the issue.

Matthew alleged that there had been repeated attempts on his life since the controversy surrounding the PFIPC broke, and appealed to the President to constitute an independent investigative panel to probe both the alleged fraud and the reported assassination attempts against him.

He said: ‘Definitely, I am ready to face an investigation panel. I am not hiding. I’m only afraid for my life. I have it on good authority that my life is in danger. There have been several attempts on my life since this news broke. I have intelligence reports that someone is trying to kill me.’

The PFIPC has been described by authorities as a non-existent agency allegedly created through forged documents.

Investigators claim the organisation, purportedly established by Matthew, fraudulently secured office space within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja and was included in the 2026 Appropriation Act with a budgetary allocation of N1.3 billion, although government officials maintain that no public funds were released before the alleged fraud was uncovered.

Matthew, however, maintained that the circumstances surrounding his appointment and the establishment of the agency should be subjected to an independent investigation.

According to him, one Mr. Dolapo Tanimola, believed to have died in a fire incident, serve as intermediary between him and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.

Admitting that he has never met with Gbajabiamila, the embattled DG alleged that he paid N400 million, with an outstanding balance of N200 million, for the appointment.

‘I gave him (Tanimola) N400 million and was to balance N200 million. They gave me the appointment before I paid the money,’ he claimed.

Matthew admitted that he knew appointments into government agencies were ordinarily processed through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), not the Chief of Staff.

‘I knew the Chief of Staff does not offer appointments, but Mr. Tanimola delivered the appointment letter to me,’ he said.

He explained that although he initially doubted the authenticity of the appointment, he became convinced after official correspondence allegedly emanated from the SGF’s office.

‘The Chief (Tanimola) directed that I should write to the Office of the SGF, and I did. The SGF then wrote to the EFCC to provide office accommodation for my agency and two others.’

According to him, officials later took him round Abuja to inspect office spaces before he was instructed to pay N300 million into a Central Bank of Nigeria recovery account to secure the premises.

‘When I complained to Mr. Tanimola, he assured me not to worry and said they would provide temporary accommodation pending the release of my take-off grant,’ he added.

On how he raised the N400 million despite having completed the National Youth Service Corps in 2015, Matthew said he borrowed the money.

‘I borrowed the money. In fact, those I borrowed it from have reported the matter to the EFCC. I borrowed the money to pay for this appointment,’ he claimed.

Matthew questioned how a single individual could allegedly manipulate several government institutions without the involvement of others.

‘The way some actors in government have handled this matter is unfortunate. How is it possible for one man to manoeuvre the entire system?’ he asked.

While commending President Tinubu for directing the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the matter, Matthew insisted that only an independent panel would inspire public confidence.

He said: ‘I appreciate our father, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for asking the ICPC to investigate. It shows he is a listening father.

‘However, I still appeal to him to set up an independent panel. The Presidency has already exonerated the Chief of Staff. Government cannot investigate itself.’

He proposed that such a panel should include representatives of international organisations, civil society groups, the United Nations and other independent bodies.

Reiterating his security concerns, Matthew alleged that unidentified gunmen visited his residence three times within two days.

‘I want to reiterate that my life is in danger. Unknown gunmen came to my house three times within two days. They want to silence me by fire, by force,’ he alleged.

The allegations have not been independently verified, and the individuals mentioned by Matthew have not publicly responded to his claims.

Government authorities have also consistently maintained that the PFIPC was never a legally established federal agency and that investigations into the matter are ongoing.