Oriire kidnapped students and teachers: The urgent need for therapy after release, By Toyin Falola

The recent release of kidnapped students and teachers from the Oriire community brings welcome relief, but their freedom marks only the beginning of a long road to recovery. The psychological trauma inflicted by experiences of fear, humiliation, violence, uncertainty, and helplessness during their ordeal cannot be underestimated. Experts emphasize the urgent need for emergency, ongoing, and professionally coordinated psychotherapy for these survivors upon their return home.

While physical captivity has ended, the potential for "mental captivity" looms large. Survivors may grapple with a range of emotional and psychological challenges, including fear, anxiety, depression, shame, jumpiness, nightmares, and difficulty trusting others. They might experience flashbacks of the violence and threats they endured, struggle with concentration, or shut down emotionally. These symptoms can manifest in children as unusual quietness, aggression, clinginess, school avoidance, or sleep disturbances.

Teachers, in particular, may experience guilt for being unable to protect themselves or their students, leading to feelings of helplessness and severe post-traumatic stress. If these trauma wounds are not addressed by professionals, they can fester, significantly impairing students' ability to learn, their family life, social integration, and overall future well-being.

Symptoms such as nightmares, panic attacks, depression, anxiety, emotional numbness, constant fear, suspicion, insomnia, poor appetite, and flashbacks are indicators that freed individuals might be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is crucial not to dismiss these reactions as weakness. While religious support and family love are valuable, they should not replace proper mental health treatment. Immediate and long-term psychosocial support is essential for the healing and reintegration of these survivors.