The principal of the secondary school in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mrs Racheal Alamu, has shared details of the traumatic 56 days she spent in kidnappers’ custody alongside teachers and pupils, revealing that some children were beaten for making noise while male captives were chained and blindfolded.
Alamu spoke on Monday when she and the rescued teachers and pupils were presented to Governor Seyi Makinde at the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Ibadan.
Recounting their experience, the principal said the victims spent much of their captivity in open forests, where they battled harsh weather conditions while trying to protect the children from the psychological and physical effects of the ordeal.
She said, “It was not easy. We stayed in the forest, under the sun and rain, with the children. We survived because we believed only God could help us and that people were praying for us.”
According to her, she was not personally assaulted by the kidnappers, but some of the younger pupils suffered severe punishment whenever they cried or made noise, as the abductors feared their location could be discovered.
“Some of the children were beaten because the kidnappers hated noise. The youngest ones suffered the most. Their mouths were tied with pieces of cloth and they were beaten,” she said.
Alamu added that the male victims faced harsher conditions, noting that they were blindfolded, handcuffed and had chains placed on their legs.
She further disclosed that the kidnappers frequently moved the victims to new locations whenever they suspected security agencies were closing in on them. The movements, she said, usually happened at night and involved long treks through difficult forest paths.
“When their hideout was discovered, we had to move, mostly around 7pm or 8pm. Sometimes we walked for three to four hours, and that was why many of us had bruises,” she explained.
The principal said while the younger children were carried by the abductors, older pupils had to walk through the difficult terrain despite falling several times from exhaustion.
Narrating how they were initially taken into the forest, Alamu said her vehicle was used to transport some of the victims before they joined other abducted pupils and teachers.
“From there, we walked for about one hour before motorcycles were brought. About 10 motorcycles carried us for more than four hours through bush paths known only to them,” she recalled.
She also stated that no victim was sexually abused throughout their captivity.
Reflecting on the incident and her years in service, the principal, who has spent 28 years as a teacher and has about four years left before retirement, said returning to rural communities would now require great courage.
“Going to rural areas now will take the grace of God. Before this happened, I had already sacrificed a lot because of the distance. With this experience, I don’t know what the future holds. For now, I just want to see my husband and go home,” she said.