The rescued principal of Community High School in Oriire Local Government Area, Mrs Rachael Alamu, has revealed why the kidnappers killed two teachers during their time in captivity.
The victims were Mathematics teacher, Mr Michael Oyedokun, who was beheaded in the kidnappers’ camp, and Mr Esiyan Adegboye, 49, who was shot during the attack. Adegboye was buried in Ogbomoso on May 22.
Alamu spoke with journalists on Monday after she, the rescued pupils and other teachers were received by Governor Seyi Makinde at the Oyo State Government House.
She said, “There are times that we have hope that we will all come out alive. The terrorists killed Mr Michael, the first teacher, on the second day of our abduction and Deacon, the second teacher, was killed on the first Sunday of June.
“They killed them purposely because they thought it would force the hand of the government to provide them whatever they wanted. They already knew that the whole world was interested in our case. We have scars already, and we believe that God will heal us. We appreciate everyone that contributed to this success.”
Speaking about their ordeal, Alamu said they spent most of the 56 days in the open forest, facing harsh weather while trying to keep the children safe and calm.
“You can only imagine it. It was not easy. 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.
“We knew it was only God that could help us, and we believed people were praying for us. That kept us going,” she said.
She added that although she was not physically attacked, many of the younger pupils were badly beaten whenever they cried or made noise.
