The principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele, in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Rachael Alamu, has shared the traumatic experience of how she, alongside pupils and fellow teachers, was forced by kidnappers to trek through dense forests for nearly two months while in captivity.
Speaking to journalists at the Oyo State Government House in Ibadan on Monday after she and 43 other victims were officially received by the state government following their rescue on July 10, Alamu described the difficult conditions they endured.
She explained that the kidnappers frequently changed locations whenever they feared security operatives were getting close, forcing the captives to begin long night-time journeys through the forest.
According to her, the group often started moving between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., with some of the treks lasting between three and four hours, leaving many victims with bruises and injuries.
Alamu said the repeated movements became one of the toughest parts of their 56-day ordeal. While the kidnappers carried the three youngest children, older pupils and teachers had to walk long distances despite exhaustion, with many falling repeatedly along the way.
She added that the captives spent most of their time outdoors, enduring both heavy rainfall and scorching sunshine without adequate shelter.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Alamu said hope and faith kept them going, as they believed divine intervention and the prayers of others would eventually lead to their freedom.
She recalled that after the abduction, the gunmen initially transported the victims in her vehicle before abandoning it and forcing them to walk for about an hour into the forest. They were later moved on motorcycles for more than four hours through difficult terrain familiar to the kidnappers.
According to the school principal, the abductors gave them biscuits during the first week of captivity, but the limited food support soon stopped, leaving the victims to endure severe hardship as the weeks passed.
The experience, she noted, has left her uncertain about returning to work in a remote community despite having spent 28 years in the teaching profession, with only about four years remaining before retirement.
Alamu and over 40 pupils and teachers regained their freedom after spending 56 days in captivity following their abduction from schools in Oriire Local Government Area in May.
Their rescue followed coordinated efforts by the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Amotekun Corps, local hunters and vigilantes.
The operation, however, claimed the lives of security personnel and three teachers, including mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun, who was killed during the crisis.
Following the victims’ handover, Governor Seyi Makinde announced that the rescued pupils and teachers would remain under medical observation for 48 hours before reuniting with their families. They were subsequently taken to the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso for medical assessment and psychological counselling.
