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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Culture & Society

Rescued Oyo pupils wore native attire for school tradition, not staging, says teacher

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • A teacher explained that rescued pupils wore native attire because it was a Friday, the school's traditional wear day, refuting claims the abduction was staged.
  • The teacher, held for 56 days with 43 others, detailed how abductors occasionally washed their clothes and dismissed social media rumors about the incident's authenticity.
  • He urged the public to stop spreading false narratives about the abduction, emphasizing the genuine suffering and the deaths that occurred.

A teacher has clarified why rescued pupils and staff from Oyo State, Nigeria, were wearing matching native attire after their 56-day captivity. Zachery Olatunde explained that Friday is the designated day for traditional wear in schools, countering social media claims that the coordinated outfits suggested the kidnapping was staged.

They said the children were wearing matching ankara. Are they not in Oyo State? Don’t they know that the government has ordered that schoolchildren should be wearing native attires on Friday?

— Zachery OlatundeA teacher explaining the reason for the native attire worn by rescued pupils.

Olatunde, speaking in a video shared by Oyo Matters, dismissed the allegations as baseless. He stated that the primary school pupils were wearing the clothes they had on when gunmen invaded their schools on a Friday. "Primary school pupils in private schools now wear native wears on Friday. We the teachers wore native attire, but secondary school pupils wore school uniform," he said, highlighting local customs.

The abductors are the ones that wash the clothes for us a few times while we were in captivity, when they notice that we are already smelling.

— Zachery OlatundeThe teacher responding to questions about the cleanliness of the victims after captivity.

Responding to questions about the victims appearing relatively clean, Olatunde revealed that their abductors occasionally washed their clothes when they became excessively dirty. He pointed to the rough appearance of the teachers, including his own beard, as evidence of their ordeal. "The abductors are the ones that wash the clothes for us a few times while we were in captivity, when they notice that we are already smelling," he explained.

Those saying the kidnapping was staged don’t know what they are saying. If it was staged, would they have killed two people?

— Zachery OlatundeThe teacher refuting claims that the abduction was staged.

Furthermore, Olatunde rejected claims that the abduction was orchestrated, citing the deaths of two individuals as clear proof of its reality. "Those saying the kidnapping was staged don’t know what they are saying. If it was staged, would they have killed two people?" he questioned. He appealed to the public to cease circulating false narratives about the incident, insisting, "It was not staged. It was real."

So those that are saying it was staged are all telling lies. It was not staged. It was real. So please stop saying those types of things.

— Zachery OlatundeThe teacher's plea to the public regarding the authenticity of the abduction.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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