Rachael Alamu, principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, has detailed the harrowing 56 days she and her pupils spent in captivity following a coordinated attack on three schools in the community on 15 May.
Mrs Alamu was among 46 pupils, teachers and school officials abducted when gunmen raided Community High School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School (Yawota), and L.A. Primary School. Two teachers, Michael Oyedokun and John Olaleye, were killed during the ordeal before security operatives rescued 44 victims on 10 July following an intelligence-led operation.
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Speaking during a Thanksgiving service at Antioch Baptist Church in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, on Sunday, Mrs Alamu described the seventh week in captivity as the most terrifying period of the ordeal.
Fear of airstrikes
Narrating the experience, Mrs Alamu explained that while they initially feared the bandits, the intensity of military air raids later became a source of significant anxiety.
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“Apart from seeing the hand of God right from the beginning, the seventh week was the hardest for us all. The troops intensified their air raids. It was so intense and persistent that, at one point, the fear of the bandits became secondary. We were praying that missiles would not accidentally be dropped on us. We were so exposed, covered only with polythene bags and grass,” she said.
“But amidst that fear, God consoled our hearts. They had told us the previous week that the governor had promised we would be released before the following Friday, so we were calm. But when the air raids started on Tuesday, they became so furious. Towards the end of that week, the commander came and said, ‘Principal, come.’ I was already shaking, as I knew what that could mean.”
Death threats
Mrs Alamu recounted an incident where the camp commander threatened to kill a hostage after the military air raids became unbearable for the kidnappers. She described falling to the ground, rolling, and begging the commander to spare lives, noting that two men had already been killed.
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“Unlike before, he became calm. He said, ‘Now that the government has been doing this, what do you want us to do?’ I said, ‘What you asked for is beyond any of the victims’ families. Just ask for what we can run around for.’ He said, ‘Okay.’ I thought that had passed. Later that night, we started hearing the sound of shovels. The two men were shouting; I was crying because we all knew what that meant.”
“They were about to bury another person. But to the glory of God, that night, they just asked us to move, because they could no longer remain in that location,” she added.
Prayer requests
Mrs Alamu disclosed that, aside from praying for their release, she made only two specific prayer requests while in captivity.
READ ALSO: Rescued Oyo principal recounts how kidnappers forced pupils, teachers through nightly treks to evade troops
“One, I prayed that I would not return to an empty house. I know my husband’s health. At a point, when they told me he had stopped communicating, I felt something had happened to him—he wouldn’t have done that on his own. When we were rescued, I was so persistent that one of the army officers had to put a call through so I could speak to him. I knew God had answered that prayer.
“The other thing I specifically asked for was my health. The conditions were so terrible that anything could have happened. I just told God that my grave should not be in that forest. And God helped me.”
Mrs Alamu described the release as miraculous, thanking God for her safety and her return to her family.
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