Mrs. Rachael Folawe Alamu, the rescued principal of Oriire School in Oyo State, says she was not sexually assaulted during her 56 days in captivity and that her immediate priority after regaining freedom is to reunite with her husband.
Speaking to journalists in a video shared by Channels Television after her rescue, Alamu recounted the ordeal she and other abducted teachers and pupils endured while in the custody of kidnappers.
She revealed that there were moments when the captives feared they would never return alive. According to her, a victim identified as Mr. Michael was killed on the second day of captivity, while another identified as Deacon was killed on the first Sunday of June. She said the kidnappers carried out the killings in an apparent attempt to pressure the government into meeting their demands.
Alamu thanked the Federal Government, Oyo State Government, security personnel and everyone involved in securing their release, adding that the victims only realised after regaining freedom how much public concern their abduction had generated. She also prayed for the families of those who lost their lives during the ordeal.
Describing the conditions in captivity, she said the victims lived in the open forest, enduring sun and rain alongside the children. She noted that they were frequently forced to relocate whenever the kidnappers believed their location had been discovered, often trekking for three to four hours at night.
She said the children initially received biscuits during the first week, but the food stopped later. While she was not beaten, Alamu said some of the children, particularly the youngest victims, Waliat and Salam, suffered severe beatings because the kidnappers insisted on complete silence to avoid attracting attention. She added that the children’s mouths were sometimes tied with pieces of cloth before they were beaten, while the male captives were blindfolded, handcuffed and chained for most of their captivity.
“Sexual molestation, no. I want to see my husband. When I get home, I can think of any other thing. But definitely, it has to be something that he will do for me,” Alamu said.
She added, “When we started, the first week, they were bringing biscuits for them, maybe to make them comfortable. But along the line, that stopped. Then we had to move from one point to another. And that was the major problem we had. When the place is discovered, we have to move. And that starts around seven, eight in the night.”
