According to a report by Vanguard on Saturday, July 18, 2026, Olatunde Olutuye Zaccheaus, the school counsellor who was held captive for 56 days after armed men invaded his school in Ori Ire Local Government Area of Oyo State, has narrated the traumatic experience of his abduction, his struggle to remain alive while being held in the forest, and the unusual circumstances surrounding the eventual release of himself and other victims.
He recounted the incident during an emotional telephone interview on Friday on Nigeria Info’s Morning Crossfire programme, where he appeared alongside his wife, Mrs. Zaccheaus.ѕєє тнє ν!∂єσ нєяє
Zaccheaus explained that he was the final person to be seized by the attackers when they stormed the school and, in what he described as a remarkable turn of events, also became the last victim to regain freedom.
Reflecting on the ordeal, he said he believed his survival and eventual release were the result of divine intervention, noting that despite the prolonged period in captivity, he was eventually reunited with his family after enduring weeks in the kidnappers’ camp.
According to the school counsellor, the events leading to his capture unfolded unexpectedly while he was attempting to remain hidden from the armed men.
He said he had tried to avoid being discovered during the invasion, hoping that the attackers would leave without noticing him.
However, the actions of one of his students unintentionally exposed his location, bringing his attempt to escape to an abrupt end.
He recalled that the student, a young girl dressed in the school’s white and brown uniform, remained close to where he was hiding despite his efforts to persuade her to move away, as the armed men searched the area, their commander reportedly approached the girl with the intention of taking her away, unaware that Zaccheaus was concealed nearby.
Zaccheaus said the girl’s reaction at that critical moment inadvertently drew attention to his hiding place.
He explained that when the commander reached the student, she smiled and glanced in the direction where he was concealed, that brief movement immediately attracted the attention of the gang leader, who followed her gaze and quickly spotted him.
The school counsellor further recounted that after seeing him, the commander appeared surprised and moved closer to confirm what he had seen.
According to Zaccheaus, the man removed his face covering as though trying to determine whether someone was actually hiding there before issuing an order for him to come out, from that point, he was taken into custody by the abductors and remained with them until his eventual release after 56 days in captivity.
He said, “So he wanted to go and take that student. So when he took the student, the student smiled and looked at where I was hiding. So their commander also looked. He saw me, and so he opened his mask. He was thinking like, ‘is this a human being or what?’
“So he told me, ‘stand up’. That was how I was captured.”
