The rescued principal of Community High School in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mrs Rachael Alamu, has revealed that the kidnappers killed two teachers to pressure the government into meeting their demands. The tragic case of Oyo kidnapped teachers has shocked the local community and authorities alike.
According to The Punch, Alamu spoke to journalists on Monday after Governor Seyi Makinde received the rescued pupils and teachers at the Oyo State Government House.
The deceased teachers were Mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun, whom the kidnappers beheaded in captivity, and Esiyan Adegboye, 49, who died from gunshot injuries during the attack.
Adegboye was buried in Ogbomoso on May 22.
Principal recounts teachers’ killings
Alamu said the kidnappers killed Oyedokun on the second day of their captivity and murdered another teacher on the first Sunday of June.
“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,” she said.
She explained that the abductors believed the killings would force the government to meet their demands because the case had attracted widespread attention.
“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 added.
However, Alamu said the survivors remained hopeful despite the trauma they suffered.
“We have scars already, and we believe that God will heal us. We appreciate everyone that contributed to this success,” she said.
Victims endured harsh conditions
The principal said the victims spent most of their 56 days in captivity in an open forest, where they endured heavy rain and intense sunlight.
“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,” she said.
Alamu added that prayers and faith gave them hope throughout the ordeal.
“We knew it was only God that could help us, and we believed people were praying for us. That kept us going,” she said.
Although the kidnappers did not physically assault her, Alamu said they severely beat some younger pupils whenever they cried or made noise.
The Federal Government handed over the rescued pupils and teachers to the Oyo State Government after security operatives secured their release.
A video shared by Oyo Affairs showed the victims arriving at the state secretariat in a van under heavy military protection.
Before the handover, the survivors received medical treatment and psychosocial support at the Military Hospital in Ibadan.
Makinde visited them at the hospital on Saturday. Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, also visited the rescued victims.
