By Opeyemi Adelakun
A witness for the Department of State Services, DSS, has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that victims of the Oriire school abduction were fed by their alleged abductors only when it was convenient for them.
The witness, identified by the DSS as AAA, gave the testimony on Friday during the ongoing trial of five persons accused of belonging to the Ansaru terror group.
According to her testimony, the victims spent 56 days in captivity and were seriously traumatised by the experience.
Under cross-examination by counsel to the five defendants, Bala Dakum, the witness said the alleged abductors provided food to the captives at their convenience, despite the presence of young children among them.
She specifically noted that there were children as young as 18 months old in the group.
The witness also told the court that the alleged abductors used the victims’ mobile phones to contact government officials during the period of captivity.
However, she said she did not know the telephone numbers of the government officials who were contacted.
AAA further testified that following their rescue by security operatives, she was interrogated by DSS personnel both at the agency’s office and while she was receiving treatment in hospital.
Responding to questions from the defence counsel, the witness acknowledged that three of the five defendants standing trial had been with the victims in the forest.
She said she only came to know the other two defendants during interrogation at the DSS office after their rescue.
The witness also gave evidence concerning the deaths of two teachers, Michael Oyedokun and John Olaleye.
She told the court that Oyedokun was killed at Camp A, while Olaleye was killed at Camp B.
However, AAA clarified that she was not present at either scene when the two teachers were allegedly beheaded.
She consequently told the court that she could not identify the specific abductors who carried out the killings.
Justice Salim Olasupo Ibrahim has fixed October 12 and 13 for continuation of the trial of the five defendants.
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