A Department of State Services (DSS) witness, identified by the codename “AAA” to protect her identity, has told the Federal High Court in Abuja how 49 students and teachers abducted in Oyo State allegedly spent 56 days in captivity before their rescue by security forces.

The witness gave the account on Thursday while testifying before Justice Salim Ibrahim in the ongoing trial of five defendants accused of involvement with Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, commonly known as the Ansaru terrorist group.

South African Bags 40 Years In Jail For Importing Heroin Into Nigeria

Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the witness said the victims were taken from schools in Oriire Local Government Area after armed men allegedly invaded the premises on 12 motorcycles.

According to her testimony, the attackers fired gunshots to prevent the students and teachers from escaping before forcing them into the surrounding bush.

She said each motorcycle carried approximately four victims, while a Toyota vehicle belonging to one of the teachers was also used to transport some of the abductees.

The witness told the court that the victims were subsequently moved through six different camps during their period in captivity.

She alleged that the abductors told them their objective was not the collection of ransom but the release of detained members of their group.

 DSS Witness Describes Conditions in Six Camps

According to the witness, the victims endured harsh conditions throughout the 56-day ordeal, including shortages of food and water and exposure to rain and sunlight.

She said the abductees were allegedly forced to remain barefoot and sleep on grass. Some of the victims were very young children, with some reportedly as young as about one and a half years old and attending pre-nursery schools.

The witness also described the difficulties the victims faced in obtaining drinking water. She claimed that at one point, four people had to share a single cup of water.

She said the abductors initially provided rice, salt and palm oil, but the food became increasingly inadequate after the supplies were exhausted.

“When the salt finished, they gave us rice and palm oil, and when the palm oil also finished, we were left with only white rice,” she testified.

The witness further alleged that some of the younger children were flogged while eating because of the struggle to obtain sufficient food. She said meals were served in a dirty rubber bucket.

She also told the court that the victims were unable to bathe or wash their clothes during their captivity. According to her account, they were sometimes forced to drink dirty water because there was no other available source.

The witness said some victims reportedly closed their eyes before drinking the water because of its appearance.

She further testified that the abductors confiscated the victims’ phones and allegedly used them to communicate with their relatives and government officials.

The court heard that two teachers, Deacon John Olaleye and Michael Oyedokun, were allegedly taken away on separate occasions and killed after the abductors claimed that the government was unwilling to meet their demands.

The witness said the victims remained in captivity until security forces eventually reached the sixth camp.

According to her, the security personnel engaged the alleged kidnappers in a gun battle, allowing the victims to be rescued and ending their 56-day ordeal.

The testimony is part of the prosecution’s case against the five defendants: Mahmud Muhammad, also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar; Abubakar Abbas, alias Isah Adam or Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri; Abdulrazak Umar, alias Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, alias Abu Yunusa Bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, alias Abu Itisar.

The defendants are facing allegations connected to the activities of the Ansaru group and the abduction and captivity of the students and teachers.

Meanwhile, defence counsel Bala Dakum is expected to cross-examine the DSS witness on September 18.

Justice Ibrahim has also ordered that the defendants remain in DSS custody for the duration of the trial as the proceedings continue.