The rescued Principal of Community High School in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mrs Rachael Alamu, has narrated how the abductors killed two teachers in an attempt to pressure the government into meeting their demands during the victims’ 56 days in captivity.
Alamu spoke with journalists on Monday after she and the rescued pupils and teachers were formally received by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde at the Government House.
The teachers who lost their lives were Michael Oyedokun, a Mathematics teacher who was reportedly beheaded in the kidnappers’ camp, and 49-year-old Esiyan Adegboye, who was shot dead during the attack on the school.
Adegboye was buried in Ogbomoso on May 22.
According to Alamu, Oyedokun was killed on the second day of their captivity, while the second teacher, whom she referred to as “Deacon,” was killed on the first Sunday of June.
She said the abductors deliberately killed the teachers because they believed the deaths would force the government to meet their demands.
“Mr Michael was killed on the second day, while Deacon was killed on the first Sunday of June. They killed them purposely because they felt it would force the hand of the government to give them whatever they wanted,” she said.
Alamu disclosed that the abductors repeatedly told the victims that the government was no longer interested in securing their release.
She said there were moments when the captives feared that they would not leave the forest alive.
The principal explained that it was only after their release that they discovered the extent of public concern and the efforts made by the government, security agencies and other Nigerians to rescue them.
“At a point, they told us that the government was no longer interested in our case. There were times when we thought we would not come out alive.
“It was only when we got out that we discovered that the whole world was interested in our case. We thought we had been written off,” she said.
Alamu thanked President Bola Tinubu, Governor Makinde, security personnel and everyone involved in securing their freedom.
“We appreciate everybody, especially the officers, the governor, the President and everyone involved in this case. We have scars already, and we believe God will heal us,” she said.
She also mourned those who lost their lives, saying the survivors remained grateful for the efforts that ensured their release.
Recounting their experience, Alamu said the victims spent most of their captivity in the open forest, exposed to the sun and rain without adequate shelter.
She said surviving under such conditions with young children was extremely difficult, but the captives continued to endure because there was no means of escape.
“You can only imagine it. It was not easy. We were in the forest, in the open most of the time, under the sun and under the rain, with the children.
“But we kept going because there was no way out. We knew it was only God who could help us, and we believed people were praying for us. That kept us going,” she said.
Alamu said their faith and the belief that people outside were praying for them provided emotional strength throughout the ordeal.
The principal said she was not personally beaten but disclosed that some of the children were severely assaulted whenever they cried or made noise.
According to her, the abductors detested noise because they feared it could attract the attention of security personnel or people within the surrounding communities.
She identified two of the youngest pupils as being among those who suffered the most punishment.
The abductors, she said, sometimes covered the children’s mouths with pieces of clothing before beating them.
“Personally, I was not beaten, but some of the children were beaten. Some children are quiet and some are loud, but what the kidnappers hated most was noise because it could attract attention.
“The youngest among them were the ones they would hold, cover their mouths with clothes and beat very well,” she recounted.
Alamu said the male victims were subjected to even harsher treatment during the captivity.
According to her, they were blindfolded, handcuffed and chained for extended periods, further restricting their movement and exposing them to physical and psychological suffering.
She said the treatment of the men was considerably worse than what many of the women experienced.
“The men had it worse than us because they were blindfolded, handcuffed and chained,” she said.
The principal disclosed that the abductors initially provided biscuits for the children during the first week of captivity, apparently to make them comfortable.
However, the supply reportedly stopped as the captivity continued.
She said the victims subsequently faced severe hardship while being moved repeatedly between different locations in the forest.
“When we started, during the first week, they were bringing biscuits for the children, maybe to make them comfortable. But along the line, that stopped,” she said.
Alamu said the kidnappers frequently relocated the captives whenever they feared that security agencies had discovered their location.
The movements generally began around 7 p.m. or 8 p.m., with the victims sometimes forced to walk for three or four hours through the forest at night.
She attributed many of the bruises visible on the bodies of the rescued victims to these prolonged journeys through rough and unfamiliar terrain.
“When a place was discovered, we had to move. We normally started moving around 7 p.m. or 8 p.m., and sometimes we walked for three or four hours.
“That is where most of the bruises you see on our bodies came from,” she said.
The principal explained that the abductors carried some of the youngest children during the journeys, while the older pupils were forced to walk.
She said some of the children repeatedly fell while struggling to keep pace through the forest.
Alamu also narrated how the attackers initially used her vehicle to transport some of the victims to a location where they met other abducted pupils and their teacher.
From there, the victims were transferred to motorcycles and driven for more than four hours through remote and uncharted routes known to the kidnappers.
“When we were taken, my car was used to convey us to a point. That was where we met the primary school pupils and their teacher.
“They brought motorcycles, about 10 of them, and packed us on them. We rode for more than four hours through uncharted paths, but they knew their way,” she said.
She expressed uncertainty about what subsequently happened to her vehicle, saying she was later shown a location where it had reportedly been found, but the place was different from the route through which the victims were taken.
Alamu, who said she had spent approximately 28 years in service and had about four years remaining, expressed concern about the prospect of returning to work in a remote area after the traumatic experience.
She suggested that the distance, transportation difficulties and psychological effect of the abduction could make returning to her former work environment challenging.
The principal, however, expressed hope that time, medical treatment and psychological support would help the victims recover from the physical and emotional injuries suffered during captivity.
The rescued pupils and teachers were formally handed over to the Oyo State Government after receiving medical treatment and psychosocial support at the Headquarters of the 2 Division Nigerian Army Medical Services, Odogbo Barracks, Ibadan.
Governor Makinde had earlier visited them at the military medical facility and said they would remain under observation before being reunited with their families.
Video footage of Monday’s handover showed the survivors arriving at the state secretariat in a vehicle under heavy military protection before being escorted into the premises.
The Federal Government had announced that security agencies secured the release of all the abducted pupils and surviving teachers after more than 50 days in captivity.
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, also visited the victims while they were receiving treatment at the military hospital.
The post “Kidnappers Killed Two Teachers To Pressure Government” — Rescued Oriire Principal Recounts 56-Day Captivity appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.
