It Was 56 Days Of Uncertainty, Agony – Rescued Oyo School Principal Gives Vivid Details

By Ayodele Oni

A second teacher, Deacon John Olaleye, not just Michael Oyedokun was killed on the first Sunday of June

The Principal of the secondary school affected by the mass abduction in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mrs Racheal Alamu, has disclosed that the beheaded Mathematics Teacher, was not the only teacher killed while they were captivity. There is Deacon John Olayele, another teacher, revealed Mrs Alamu, who was, also, gruesomely murdered on the first Sunday of June. The two, she said, were murdered just to put pressure on the Federal Government to agree to the terms of the evil men.

Mrs Alamu revealed this when she narrated the traumatic experiences she, fellow teachers and pupils endured during their 56-day captivity.

Shd revealed among other things that the victims were subjected to harsh conditions while being moved through forests to evade security operatives.

Alamu spoke in Ibadan after she and the rescued teachers and pupils were officially received by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde following their release.

She said the victims spent most of their time in the open forest, where they were exposed to harsh weather conditions while struggling to keep the children safe and emotionally stable.

Describing the ordeal, the school principal said survival depended largely on faith and hope that help would eventually come.

“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 that could help us, and we believed people were praying for us. That kept us going.”

Giving the most detailed public account yet of the ordeal, Alamu disclosed that the kidnappers intentionally executed two male teachers to increase pressure on government negotiators.

“The terrorists killed Mr Michael, the first teacher, on the second day of our abduction and Deacon, the second teacher, was killed on the first Sunday of June,” she said.

“They killed them purposely because they thought it would force the hand of the government to provide them whatever they wanted. They already knew that the whole world was interested in our case.

“We have scars already, and we believe that God will heal us. We appreciate everyone that contributed to this success.”

Aside the two who were murdered in captivity, another teacher, Mr Esiyan Adegboye, 49, was shot dead on the day of the abduction on the school premises. Adegboye was buried in Ogbomoso on May 22.

Mrs Alamu’s account offers the clearest explanation yet for the killings, suggesting they were tactical executions designed to strengthen the kidnappers’ bargaining position.

The principal said surviving the ordeal required extraordinary resilience from both teachers and pupils, who spent most of their 56-day captivity exposed to the elements in dense forest.

She disclosed that although she was not physically assaulted, many of the younger children suffered repeated beatings whenever they cried or made noise.

According to her, the kidnappers often tied children’s mouths to prevent them from making any sounds that could expose their location.

Mrs Alamu further revealed that the male teachers endured the harshest treatment throughout the ordeal. According to her, they were routinely blindfolded, chained and tied up by the abductors.

She, however, said none of the pupils or teachers suffered sexual assault during their captivity.

She added that during the first week, the kidnappers gave biscuits to the children in an apparent effort to calm them before conditions deteriorated.

Monday’s ceremony marked the formal transfer of the rescued victims from the Federal Government to the Oyo State Government.

Video footage circulating online showed the pupils and teachers arriving under heavy military escort before being received by the Governor.

The victims had spent three days receiving medical treatment and psychosocial care at the Military Hospital, Ibadan, following their rescue.

Makinde had visited them at the hospital on Saturday to assess their condition before Monday’s formal reception.

The abduction occurred on May 15 when heavily armed gunmen simultaneously attacked Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle, L.A. Primary School, Ahoro-Esinle, and Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, all in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, abducting scores of pupils, teachers and other school personnel.

The incident triggered widespread outrage across Nigeria and renewed concerns over the growing spate of attacks on schools despite repeated assurances by security agencies.

Following weeks of intelligence gathering and coordinated military operations, troops eventually rescued the victims during carefully planned operations in the Old Oyo National Park and adjoining forests.

The Federal Government announced on Friday that all surviving abducted pupils and teachers had been rescued alive before handing them over to the Oyo State Government on Monday.

Governor Makinde had at the ceremony said beyond celebrating the successful rescue, the international community must pay close attention to what happened in the forests of Oyo State to ensure that those responsible are identified and held accountable.

Federal government has described the call as politically motivated.