Oyo school kidnapping: Principal reveals why abductors killed teachers

A rescued school principal in south-western Nigeria has revealed that kidnappers killed two of her colleagues in a deliberate attempt to force the government’s hand.

Mrs Rachael Alamu, the principal of Community High School in the Oriire local government area of Oyo State, was speaking after she and dozens of pupils and teachers were freed following 56 days in captivity.

The victims were received by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde at the State Government House on Monday, after being handed over by federal authorities following their rescue.

Speaking to journalists, Mrs. Alamu explained that the militants killed mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun and 49-year-old Esiyan Adegboye during the ordeal.

“They killed them purposely because they thought it would force the hand of the government to provide them whatever they wanted,” Mrs. Alamu said. “They already knew that the whole world was interested in our case.”

‘Sun and rain’

Recounting the 56-day ordeal, the principal described the psychological toll of keeping the children alive and emotionally stable while being moved through the wilderness.

“It was not easy,” she said. “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.”

Mrs. Alamu added that while she was not physically assaulted herself, younger pupils were subjected to severe beatings by the captors whenever they cried or made noise.

Rehabilitation begins

The rescued group arrived at the state secretariat under heavy military escort.

Before being formally reunited with their families, the pupils and teachers underwent medical treatment and received psychosocial support at the Military Hospital in Ibadan.

The mass abduction, which took place in May, had triggered weeks of public protests and a month-long teachers’ strike across the state. While the government has celebrated the rescue as a major success, the tragedy has left deep scars on the local community, which buried Mr Adegboye in the town of Ogbomoso late last month.