Fifteen-year-old Bello Hassan, one of the pupils abducted during the attack on schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, has expressed his determination to return to school despite spending 56 days in captivity.
Speaking with journalists in Ogbomoso on Wednesday after he and other rescued pupils and teachers were discharged from the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Hassan said he was no longer afraid and hoped to resume his education.
“Since my return, I am not afraid. If God wills, I will return to school in the area,” he said.
Recalling the ordeal, Hassan said he was writing a test when armed men stormed the school and forced pupils and teachers into the forest at gunpoint.
“When I was in captivity, I was scared that my parents were at home and there was nobody to save me. I was in school writing a test when the gunmen invaded the school. When we saw the guns with the gunmen, we were scared, and they ordered us to march out and follow them,” he said.
He explained that the victims trekked for an entire day before arriving at the kidnappers’ camp around 7 p.m., adding that they were moved from one hideout to another during their captivity.
“We didn’t know where they took us, and we trekked for a day. We got to their location around 7 p.m. They moved us from one location to another for days,” he said.
According to Hassan, the captives slept under trees throughout the 56-day ordeal. He said the abductors first asked the female captives to prepare meals before taking over the cooking themselves.
“They cooked rice for us. They asked the females among us to cook for us, and later they started cooking for us. Whenever rain was about to fall, they covered us with nylon because we stayed under the tree,” he said.
He added that although the pupils were not beaten, their teachers were flogged, while everyone was prevented from moving around freely.
“The gunmen didn’t beat us, but only flogged our teachers. They didn’t allow us to play around or do whatever we liked,” he said.
Asked whether he witnessed the killing of two teachers, Michael and Deacon, Hassan said the incident happened at a different location.
“No, I didn’t witness it. They were killed in another place,” he said.
He also revealed that the kidnappers communicated in English, Hausa and other languages during their time in captivity.
Hassan was among the 44 pupils and teachers rescued on July 10 after they spent 56 days in captivity following the May 15 attack on three schools in the Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area.
“I’m not afraid to return to school” — rescued Oyo pupil recounts ordeal in b@ndits’ captivity pic.twitter.com/IqWvKs4zEZ
— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) July 16, 2026
