A rescued school principal in Oyo State has shared details of the 56 days she and other victims spent in captivity, revealing how fear, constant movement through the forest and psychological pressure became part of their daily lives.
The principal, Mrs. Alamu, spoke after regaining her freedom alongside other teachers and pupils who were abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area. Moreover, she disclosed that although the experience left physical and emotional scars, the victims remained hopeful until they were finally rescued.
Her account came during the official handover of the rescued victims to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde by the Nigerian Army.
Speaking about their time in captivity, Mrs. Alamu explained that the female victims were not sexually assaulted. However, she said the male teachers suffered even harsher treatment during the ordeal.
“There was no sexual molestation of the female victims. They tied our mouths with clothes. The male teachers and men in general had it worse than us females because they were blindfolded, chained and tied until only two of them remained,” she said.
She recalled that the kidnappers initially tried to gain the children’s trust by giving them biscuits.
According to her, that stopped after the first week because the group was constantly forced to relocate.
“In the first week, they gave the children biscuits to make them feel comfortable, but along the line it stopped because we had to move from one point to another.”
She explained that the kidnappers usually changed locations whenever they believed their hideout had been discovered.
As a result, the victims often began long journeys through the forest late in the evening.
“So whenever their hideout was discovered, we had to move around 7:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. Sometimes we walked for up to four hours.”
The repeated movement left many victims with painful injuries.
“We sustained bruises on our legs, but the youngest children, Salam, Waliat and Testimony, were carried by the teachers,” she added.
Mrs. Alamu also recalled how the victims were moved shortly after the abduction.
She said her personal vehicle was first used to transport them before motorcycles were introduced.
“On the day of the incident my car was used to convey us to some points to meet with the primary pupils and their teachers. Later they brought their bikes, but we still trekked for hours and about 10 of the kidnappers escorted us.”
Reflecting on her future, the principal admitted that returning to work, especially in a rural community, may not be easy.
“Going to a rural area takes the grace of God. I have worked for 28 years and I have four years left. With time I should get over it.”
She also spoke about the daily sacrifices teachers make to serve rural communities.
“The distance is a lot and I sacrifice so much on transportation. Now, coupled with the incident, I don’t know what would happen.”
Meanwhile, another rescued victim, Ms. Folawe, revealed that the kidnappers intentionally killed two captives to pressure the authorities.
“Mr Michael was killed on the second day, while deacon was killed on the first Sunday in June. They killed them purposely because they felt that would force the government to give them whatever they wanted.”
She said the victims remained unaware of the nationwide concern over their disappearance until after their rescue.
“It wasn’t until we got out that we discovered the whole world was on our case. We have scars already, but we believe with time we will heal.”
Furthermore, she explained that the kidnappers repeatedly used fear to weaken their resolve.
“We’re grateful to God. On May 15, a Friday that started well, ended in chaos for us, and for 56 days, we were in the bush. It was a harrowing experience, but we thank God for seeing us through. We went through a lot.”
“A relief to us is that Nigerians were praying for us. Many times, they used fear to subdue us. At one point, they told us the government wasn’t interested in our case anymore because they didn’t value us. But there were times we held on to hope that we would come out alive.”
In addition, she thanked Nigerians for their prayers and appreciated President Bola Tinubu, Governor Seyi Makinde and security agencies for their efforts during the rescue operation.
Although the victims have regained their freedom, their emotional and physical recovery is expected to take time.
