The principal of Community High School, Esiele, Mrs Rachael Alamu, has revealed her ordeal and why the brutal bandits who held her and her colleagues captive for 56 days executed two teachers. Speaking during the official handover of the rescued Oyo school kidnap victims to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde by the Nigerian Army, Oyo principal Rachael Alamu detailed a harrowing 56-day ordeal of psychological torture, hunger, and constant fear.
The nightmare began on 15 May, a day that started like any other school day but quickly spiralled into absolute terror. Armed bandits launched coordinated attacks on Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, and LA Primary School in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The Reality of the Nigeria Banditry Crisis
For nearly two months, the educators and pupils were dragged through the dense forest, completely cut off from their families. Mrs Alamu described the deep psychological warfare their captors used to break their spirits. They tried to convince the captives that the outside world had simply forgotten them.
“We’re grateful to God. On May 15, a Friday that started well ended in chaos for us, and for 56 days we were in the bush. It was a harrowing experience, but we thank God for seeing us through. We went through a lot,” she said.
The abductors continuously used isolation as a weapon. They told the teachers that the state did not care about their lives, hoping to destroy any remaining optimism.
“A relief to us is that Nigerians were praying for us. Many times, they used fear to subdue us. At one point they told us the government wasn’t interested in our case anymore because they didn’t value us. But there were times we held on to hope that we would come out alive,” she recalled.
Why the Oyo School Kidnap Victims Were Executed
As negotiations dragged on, the kidnappers grew increasingly impatient. To accelerate their financial and political demands, they turned to cold-blooded murder. The **Nigeria banditry crisis** has frequently seen such tactics, where bandits use targeted executions to spark public panic and force official action.
According to Mrs Alamu, the gang killed two of the male captives in public displays of violence designed to terrify the survivors and shock the government.
“Mr. Michael was killed on the second day, while Deacon was killed on the first Sunday in June. They killed them purposely because they felt that would force the government to give them whatever they wanted,” she said.
Healing After the Seyi Makinde Rescue Operation
The surviving victims were finally freed following a coordinated military operation. The Nigerian Army safely returned the traumatised survivors to state authorities. At the official reception, the governor praised the courage of the survivors and promised continued support for their rehabilitation.
The principal admitted that the sheer scale of public support and global outrage only became clear to them after they emerged from the forest.
“It was until we got out that we discovered the whole world was on our case. We have scars already, but we believe with time we will heal,” she said.
Mrs Alamu expressed her deepest gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, Governor Seyi Makinde, the security forces, and the millions of ordinary citizens whose thoughts and prayers kept their hope alive during the dark weeks in the bush. While the physical captivity is over, the long road to mental recovery for these survivors has only just begun.
