The principal of the secondary school in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has given a detailed account of what she and her fellow captives endured across 56 days in the hands of kidnappers, revealing that children had their mouths bound with cloth, male teachers were chained and blindfolded, and the entire group was forced on exhausting nighttime marches through thick forest terrain.
Mrs. Rachael Alamu spoke on Monday after she and the other rescued teachers and pupils were formally handed over to Governor Seyi Makinde at the Government Secretariat in Ibadan.
Alamu Describes Brutal Treatment of Pupils in Captivity
Alamu said the kidnappers’ biggest fear was noise. Whenever younger children cried, the captors responded with violence and improvised gags.
“The youngest children suffered the most. They would tie their mouths with pieces of cloth and beat them very well,” she told the gathering.
Alamu said she personally was not physically assaulted, but several pupils bore the brunt of the captors’ aggression throughout the ordeal. She confirmed that none of the victims was sexually assaulted at any point during the 56 days.
The victims were abducted by gunmen on a Thursday in May 2026 and spent nearly two months in the forest before security agencies secured their release.
Alamu said the group spent most of their time in the open, exposed to sun and rain, with no shelter. Despite those conditions, she said a collective resolve kept the group going.
“We knew it was only God that could help us, and we believed people were praying for us. That kept us going,” she said.
Nighttime Forest Marches Left Victims with Bruises
One of the most dangerous recurring experiences during the Oyo abduction ordeal, Alamu said, was being forced to move whenever the kidnappers suspected security forces had located their position.
Those movements always happened at night and could last several hours through difficult bush terrain.
“When the place was discovered, we had to move, and that usually started around seven or eight at night. Sometimes we walked for three to four hours. That is why you see bruises on our bodies,” she said.
The youngest children were carried by the kidnappers during these treks, but older pupils were made to walk the full distance.
“They fell many times. It was very difficult,” Alamu said.
She also described how her own vehicle was used immediately after the abduction to move the group to a point where they met pupils and a teacher from a primary school who had also been taken.
“From there, we walked for about one hour before they brought motorcycles. About 10 motorcycles were used to move us for more than four hours through bush paths they knew very well,” she said.
Male Teachers Chained as Captors Applied Harsher Measures on Men
Alamu said the male members of the group were treated more harshly than the women throughout their time in captivity.
“The men had it worse than us. They were blindfolded, handcuffed, and chained on their legs,” she said.
She did not provide additional details on the specific conditions under which the men were held or whether they received any medical attention during captivity. Details on the full condition of the male teachers at the time of rescue were not immediately available.
Governor Makinde received the rescued victims at the secretariat, and his administration has since indicated that the state government is taking over the welfare of all those rescued. The governor has also called for a broader investigation into the circumstances of the abduction.
For Alamu, the experience has forced a hard reckoning with what remains of her career. She has worked in the public school system for 28 years and said she has approximately four years left before retirement.
“Going to rural areas now will take the grace of God. Before this happened, I had already sacrificed a lot because of the distance. Now, coupled with this experience, I don’t know what will happen,” she said.
She said her immediate priority after the handover was returning home to her husband. All other decisions, she said, would follow from there.
