The principal of Community High School, Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mrs Rachael Alamu, has revealed that the kidnappers who held her and dozens of pupils and teachers captive deliberately killed two teachers to force the government to meet their demands.
Alamu disclosed this on Monday while speaking with journalists after she, alongside the rescued pupils and teachers, was formally received by Governor Seyi Makinde at the Oyo State Government House in Ibadan.
The principal said the abductors believed killing members of the group would increase pressure on the government because of the widespread public attention the abduction had attracted.
“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,” she said.
The victims killed during the ordeal were a Mathematics teacher, Mr Michael Oyedokun, who was beheaded on the second day of the abduction, and Mr Esiyan Adegboye, a 49-year-old teacher, who was shot dead during the attack on the school. Adegboye was buried in Ogbomoso on May 22.
Recalling the traumatic experience, Alamu said there were moments when the captives believed they would all survive despite the difficult conditions.
“There are times that we have hope that we will all come out alive. 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.
“We have scars already, and we believe that God will heal us. We appreciate everyone that contributed to this success,” she added.
The principal said the victims spent most of the 56 days in captivity in the open forest, enduring harsh weather conditions while trying to protect and comfort the children.
“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,” she said.
Alamu noted that although she was not physically assaulted, many of the younger pupils were severely beaten by the kidnappers whenever they cried or made noise.
The rescued pupils and teachers were officially handed over to the Oyo State Government by the Federal Government on Monday, days after security agencies secured their release following more than 50 days in captivity.
A video shared by Oyo Affairs showed the victims arriving at the state secretariat in a security convoy, where they were escorted by heavily armed military personnel before being received by Governor Makinde.
Before the handover, the victims had been undergoing medical treatment and receiving psychosocial support at the Military Hospital in Ibadan. Governor Makinde visited them at the facility on Saturday to assess their condition and reassure them of the government’s support.