Oyo principal shares story of kidnap ordeal and violence against children

The principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele, in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Rachael Alamu, has shared her painful experience of the 56 days she and over 40 abducted pupils and teachers spent with their kidnappers. She revealed that the kidnappers beat some of the children, blindfolded and chained the men, making their situation even worse.

Mrs Alamu spoke to journalists on Monday after the military handed her and the other survivors over to the Oyo State Government. She described her experience as one of the most traumatic times in her life.

Even though she was not physically harmed, she mentioned that many children were beaten while in captivity. "Personally, I was not beaten. Some of the children were beaten. You know children; some are quiet, some are loud. What they hated most was noise because they believed it could attract attention," she said.

The youngest children suffered the most abuse. "The youngest of them, Waliya and Salam, received the worst beating. They would cover their mouths with clothes, tie them and beat them severely," she explained.

The male captives faced harsher treatment, according to Mrs Alamu. She said they were chained, which stopped them from moving or trying to escape. "The men had it worse than us. They were blindfolded, handcuffed and chained on their legs," she added.

She noted that none of the female captives were sexually abused during their time in captivity. Mrs Alamu and 43 other victims were finally freed after spending 56 days in the hands of their captors. They were taken from their schools in Oriire Local Government Area on 15 May.

The kidnappers attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area: Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele; Primary School, Esinele; and Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota.

The victims were rescued on 10 July after weeks of joint operations by the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air Force, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Amotekun Corps, local hunters, and vigilantes.

The rescue came at a high cost. Two teachers and several security operatives lost their lives during the abduction and rescue efforts. Teacher Michael Oyedokun was beheaded by the kidnappers in a video that shocked many Nigerians and increased calls for better security in Oyo State.