One of the students kidnapped by terrorists during the attack on schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Bello Hassan, has spoken publicly about the traumatic experience he endured after spending 56 days in captivity.
The 15-year-old shared details of his ordeal while addressing journalists shortly after he was discharged from the hospital following his release.
Hassan explained that the period in captivity was especially frightening because he was without his parents who were probably at home at the time. He recalled that the attack happened while students were in the middle of writing a test.
He revealed: “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,”
Responding to questions from journalists about what the terrorists told them before taking them into the forest, Hassan said the attackers gave them no explanation.
Instead, the students obeyed out of fear after seeing the weapons the gunmen carried. He added that the journey into the forest lasted until about 7 p.m. and that they were repeatedly relocated to prevent security operatives from tracing them.
“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.
Hassan also recounted how the abductors provided them with food, revealing that they initially instructed the female captives to prepare meals before eventually taking over the cooking themselves.
He further stated that none of the terrorists involved in the abduction was a woman.
“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. ” Hassan said.
Speaking about the late teacher, Mr Micheal Oyedokun, who was beheaded, the teenager said he did not witness the killing because the teacher had been separated from the rest of the captives before he was murdered.
According to him, they heard Oyedokun’s voice, but after the terrorists returned, the teacher was no longer with them. Hassan also repeated that the abductors shielded them with nylon sheets whenever it rained.
Addressing questions about why the clothes they wore upon regaining freedom appeared clean, he explained that fresh clothing was provided to them after they arrived in Ibadan.
“No, I didn’t witness it. They were killed in another place,” he said.
Despite the traumatic experience, Hassan said he has not ruled out returning to school. Although he remains uncertain about when that will happen, he expressed confidence that, if it is God’s will, he will resume his education and insisted he is no longer living in fear.
“Since my return, I am not afraid. If God wills, I will return to school in the area,” he said.
Watch the video below
“They cooked rice for us, and whenever rain was about to fall, they covered us with nylon”
— Rescued Oyo student Bello Hassan recounts ordeal in kidnappers’ den pic.twitter.com/guOJVtQGOn
— Omotoyosi A.A Ijaya JOURNALIST (@omotoyosiwrites) July 16, 2026
