The principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele, Mrs. Alamu Folawe, has recounted the emotional ordeal she, fellow teachers and pupils endured during their 56 days in captivity after being abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
According to Vanguard, Folawe said the kidnappers repeatedly used psychological tactics to weaken the captives, telling them the government had abandoned them and was no longer interested in securing their release.
“A relief to us is that Nigerians were praying for us. Many times, they used fear to subdue us. At one point they told us the government wasn’t interested in our case anymore because they didn’t value us. But there were times we held on to hope that we would come out alive,” she said.
Speaking during the handover of the rescued victims to Governor Seyi Makinde by the Nigerian Army, Folawe also revealed that the abductors killed two members of the group in an effort to pressure the government.
Despite the killings, she said the captives encouraged one another and drew strength from the belief that Nigerians were praying for them, helping them endure the weeks of fear and uncertainty until they were rescued and reunited with their families.
