Rachael Alamu, principal of Community High School, Esin Ele, has described the abuse she and dozens of abducted pupils endured while in the custody of terrorists, revealing that the youngest children were repeatedly beaten for making noise.
Alamu was among six teachers and 39 students kidnapped on May 15 after gunmen attacked Community High School, Esin Ele, First Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, and LA Primary School, Yawota in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The victims regained their freedom on Friday after spending 56 days in captivity during a coordinated rescue operation involving the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, and intelligence support from the Department of State Services (DSS).
Following medical evaluation and treatment, the rescued teachers and pupils were officially handed over to the Oyo State Government on Monday.
Speaking to journalists at the Government House in Ibadan, Alamu said although she escaped physical assault, the abductors often targeted the youngest children whenever they became noisy.
“You know, children, some of them are quiet, some of them are loud. And what they hate most is noise, that it attracts attention. So, the youngest of them, maybe the two, Waliyah and Salam, they were the ones that took the bulk of the beating,” she said.
According to her, the kidnappers gagged the children before assaulting them.
“They will close their mouth, tie it with cloth, and beat them very well. Then the men, they had it worse than us because they were blindfolded, handcuffed, and chained on the leg. All of them, until they remained two,” she added.
Alamu also recalled that the captives spent most of their time exposed to harsh weather and were frequently forced to relocate whenever the kidnappers feared security forces had discovered their hideout.
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“…then we had to move from one point to another. And that was a major problem we had. When the place is discovered, we have to move. And that starts around 7 to 8 in the night. Sometimes we walk three, four hours. That is most of the bruises you see on our bodies,” she said.
She explained that the victims were initially transported in her own vehicle before being made to trek through the bush and later moved deeper into the forest on motorcycles.
“When we were taken, my car was used to convey us to a point. That was where we met the primary pupils and the teacher,” she said.
“So, we had to walk for about one hour. They brought motorcycles and about 10 of them. So, we were packed there. And we rode for more than four hours on unchartered paths, but they knew their way.”
When asked whether she intended to return to the rural school where she worked before the abduction, the principal admitted she had not made up her mind.
“I’ve worked for 28 years. So, I have four years. With time, maybe I can get over it. But going that far, the distance between that place and Ogbomoso is far already. So, I sacrifice a lot when it comes to transportation. Now, coupled with this, I don’t know what will happen next,” she said.