Pupils were beaten, teachers chained, blindfolded by kidnappers – Principal Mrs. Rachael Alamu

By Aminat Damilola, Assistant Editor

The harrowing ordeal which the rescued schoolchildren and their teachers went through at the hands of their kidnappers was made public yesterday by the Principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Dada, Mrs. Rachael Alamu.

The sad accounts were given by Mrs. Alamu at the Oyo State Government Secretariat in Ibadan, where the pupils and teachers were handed over to Governor Seyi Makinde by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Chinedu Nnebeife.

Video: Mrs Alamu addressing reporters

The Principal revealed that the pupils, specifically two of them (Waliyah and Salaam), were repeatedly beaten by the abductors for noise making, while the male teachers were blindfolded for most of the period and had their legs chained.

The GOC also recounted the operation that led to the rescue of the victims

Governor Makinde promised full support for the pupils and teachers, listed the names of the eight people who died during the abduction and rescue operation

PHOTO: Gov. Makinde

In his broadcast, Makinde gave the names of those who died as teachers: Adesiyan Adegboye, Michael Oyedokun and John Olaleye.

The Amotekun operatives were Mrs. Adigun Saibu, Isa Saliu and Rafiu Ayuba.

The military casualties were Lt. F.A. Isaac and an unnamed soldier.

The governor advocated an international probe, involving the United Nations, into the circumstances surrounding the abduction.

Mrs. Alamu told reporters that they were driven into the forest on about 10 motorcycles through rough paths for more than four hours.

“They brought motorcycles, about 10 of them. So, we were packed there. And we rode for more than four hours on rough paths, but they knew their way,” the principal narrated.

She added that while in the forest, the abductors occasionally moved them from one location to another whenever they sensed danger.

According to her, the movements sometimes lasted more than 12 hours and, at other times, three or four hours.

“At one point, the kidnappers started moving us from one point to another. That was a major problem we had because the movements used to start around 7 a.m. and end around 8 p.m.

“Sometimes, we walked for three or four hours. That is what caused most of the bruises you see on our bodies,” she added.

Asked how the children coped during such movements, she responded: “The girls, that is, my secondary school girls, used to carry them: Salam, Waliyat and Testimony. The other ones walked. We used to fall sometimes.”

According to her, the children were beaten by the kidnappers for making noise because the abductors believed noise would attract attention.

She added that the male teachers were blindfolded and had their legs chained for most of the period.

She, however, ruled out any molestation of the women by the abductors.

Mrs. Alamu described the executions as a calculated strategy to terrorise the captives and force concessions from the authorities.

Recounting their ordeal, the visibly emotional principal said the kidnappers subjected them to relentless psychological torture in addition to the physical hardship they endured in the forest.

According to her, the first victim, identified as Mr. Michael Oyedokun, was killed on the second day of their captivity.

Another teacher, identified as Deacon Adesiyan Adegboye, was executed on the first Sunday in June.

She said: “Mr. Michael was killed on the second day of our stay, but Deacon was killed on the first Sunday of June.

“They killed them purposely because they felt that would force the hand of the government to give them whatever they wanted.”

Mrs. Alamu said the kidnappers repeatedly told the captives that they had been abandoned and that the government no longer cared about their fate.

“So many times they used fear to subdue us. At one point, they told us that the government would not be interested in our case again because they did not value us,” she said.

Despite the intimidation, she said the victims refused to give up hope, drawing strength from their faith and the belief that people were praying for their safe return.

“It was not until we got out that we discovered that the whole world was interested in our case. We thought that we were a write-off,” she said.

Expressing appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Makinde, the military and other security agencies, Mrs. Alamu acknowledged that although they had regained their freedom, the emotional scars of the experience would take time to heal.

“We have scars already. We believe that with time, we will heal. We pray that God will console the families of those who lost their lives,” she said.

Major General Nnebeife formally handed over the rescued victims to the Oyo State Government.

He said the operation succeeded after security forces abandoned a direct pursuit of the kidnappers and instead dismantled their logistics and supply network.

According to him, troops were mobilised immediately after the abduction on May 15 and initially combed the thick forests within the Old Oyo National Park alongside local hunters and Amotekun operatives.

The terrain, he said, made aerial surveillance difficult because the dense forest canopy prevented drones and aircraft from effectively locating the abductors.

“Because of the nature of the forest and how thick it is, there were places where even rays of sunlight could hardly penetrate,” he said.

The GOC said the military thereafter adopted a different strategy involving the Office of the National Security Adviser, Defence Headquarters Special Forces, the Nigerian Air Force, the Navy’s Special Boat Service, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies.

He said operatives tracked gang members and their collaborators across several states, including Adamawa and Kano, before identifying and shutting down the kidnappers’ major logistics base at Ashamu in Oyo State.

According to him, cutting off food supplies and other logistics forced the abductors to release the victims unconditionally.

“We will never yield to terrorists’ requests. We will never do that,” he said.

The GOC, however, said intelligence gathered during the operation indicated that some local vigilantes and hunters compromised security efforts by collaborating with criminals.

He said the military would work with the state to reorganise local security structures to eliminate such infiltration.

Makinde thanked President Tinubu, the military and other security agencies for the successful operation.

He assured the rescued teachers and pupils that the state government would support their rehabilitation and ensure that neither their education nor careers suffered because of the abduction.

“To the teachers and the pupils, I know it is a long road to recovery. What you have passed through in 56 days, we cannot undo in 56 months.

“But I want to assure you that the state government will do everything possible to ensure there is no disruption to your careers and no disruption to the education of those students,” he said.

Makinde said the victims had been placed under the care of a medical team headed by former University College Hospital (UCH) Chief Medical Director, Prof. Temitope Alonge.

He said they would undergo comprehensive medical and psychological evaluation for between 24 and 48 hours before being reunited with their families.

The governor added that although one of the affected schools is privately owned, the government would engage its management to ensure that the students and teachers resume their normal lives without avoidable setbacks.

The rescued victims were later moved to the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, for further medical attention and monitoring.

The Grassroots Mobilisation Initiative (GMI) applauded President Tinubu and the security agencies for the successful rescue of the pupils and teachers.