Terrorists fed Oyo pupils garri, beat victim for asking after family – Relative
The family of one of the pupils recently rescued after spending 56 days in captivity following the abduction in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has narrated the child’s traumatic experience, alleging that the terrorists beat the victims whenever they asked about their families and fed them only garri without sugar throughout their ordeal.
Speaking in an interview with TVC News on Wednesday, a relative of one of the rescued pupils, identified as Taiwo, said the child has continued to recount the harrowing experience since returning home.
According to the family member, the abductors subjected the children to physical abuse and harsh living conditions in the forest.
“When he saw you people (journalists), he started clinging to us. They really stressed them in the forest. He has been narrating everything to us. He said they beat him whenever he remembered us,” the relative said. She added that when asked what they were given to eat, the child said the captives survived mainly on garri without sugar.
Another relative described the lingering trauma among the rescued children, saying one of the victims became frightened on seeing unfamiliar faces after regaining freedom. “As soon as she saw you from afar, she clung to us,” the relative said, while another family member added that the child appeared ready to run back into the bush out of fear and was visibly shaking.
The relatives further revealed that the abductors punished the children whenever they asked to see their loved ones. “They put them through a lot of suffering. She has been recounting her experience since she returned. She said that whenever she asked for her relatives, they would beat her,” one of them said.
The latest account comes days after all the pupils and teachers abducted during the May 15 attack on schools in Oriire Local Government Area regained their freedom following a coordinated rescue operation by security agencies.
It also corroborates the account of Community High School Principal, Mrs. Rachael Alamu, who disclosed that the abductors beat younger children whenever they cried, gagged them to keep them quiet, and forced both pupils and teachers to undertake dangerous night-time treks through the forest to evade security operatives.
She added that while the female victims were largely spared physical assault, the male teachers were blindfolded, handcuffed and chained throughout the 56-day captivity.
Source: Punch