THE principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele, in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mrs Rachael Alamu, on Monday recounted the harrowing 56-day ordeal she, alongside 45 pupils and teachers, endured in captivity after they were abducted by terrorists.
News Point Nigeria reports that the victims were kidnapped on May 15 when armed terrorists attacked three schools in Oriire LGA — Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and LA Primary School.
The abducted pupils and teachers eventually regained their freedom last Friday, 56 days after they were taken away by their captors.
However, the period in captivity came at a heavy cost, as two teachers lost their lives during the ordeal.
Speaking to journalists in Ibadan on Monday during the formal handover of the rescued victims to Governor Seyi Makinde by the Nigerian Army, Alamu narrated how the kidnappers subjected the children to severe beatings and murdered two teachers in an attempt to pressure the government into acceding to their demands.
“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 principal disclosed that the victims spent most of their time in captivity deep inside the forest, where they were exposed to harsh weather conditions and repeatedly brutalised by their abductors.
“We were in the forest, in the open most of the time, under the sun, under the rain. We knew it was God that could really help us; so that really helped us. And the fact that we believe that people are praying for us, that also helped us as well,” she said.
Reflecting on the painful experience, Alamu said there were moments when survival appeared impossible, but somehow they found the strength to endure the difficult circumstances.
Although she escaped physical assault, the principal revealed that many of the children were repeatedly beaten, especially the youngest among them, whose cries and noise often infuriated the kidnappers.
“Personally, I was not beaten, but some of the children were beaten. You know, children, some of them are quiet, some of them are loud. And what they hate most is noise because it attracts attention.
“The youngest of them, maybe the two, Walia and Salam, were the ones who took the best of the beating. They would close their mouths, tie them with clothes, and beat them very well,” she said.
Alamu added that the male victims suffered even harsher treatment during the period of captivity.
“The men, they had it worse than us because they were blindfolded, handcuffed and chained on the leg. All of them, until they remained two,” she said.
According to the school principal, the kidnappers constantly relocated the captives from one hideout to another whenever they suspected that security forces had discovered their location.
She recalled that while the terrorists occasionally carried the youngest children, the majority of the victims, including schoolgirls, were forced to trek long distances through difficult terrain in the forest.
Alamu further disclosed that it was only after they regained their freedom that they realised the extent to which Nigerians had followed their ordeal and offered prayers for their safe return.