The principal abducted alongside teachers and students in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has lifted the veil on her 56-day ordeal in the hands of her captors. Mrs Racheal Alamu spoke after she and the rescued victims were handed over to Governor Seyi Makinde at the Governor's Office in Ibadan.
Life in captivity was unrelenting brutality masked by necessity. The hostages spent most of their time exposed in the open forest, battling harsh weather while fighting to keep the children alive and emotionally stable.
"You can only imagine it. It was not easy," Mrs Alamu told reporters, describing the ordeal.
"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."
She said faith sustained them during the darkest moments. "We knew it was only God that could help us, and we believed people were praying for us.
That kept us going," she added.
The kidnappers showed particular cruelty toward the youngest children. According to Mrs Alamu, the abductors beat pupils into silence whenever they cried or made noise, fearing the sound would alert security forces.
"Some of the children were beaten. What they hated most was noise because they believed it could attract attention," the principal explained.
"The youngest children suffered the most. They would tie their mouths with pieces of cloth and beat them very well."
Mrs Alamu herself escaped physical assault, but this mercy wasn't extended to the male teachers. The men endured significantly harsher treatment throughout their captivity.
"The men had it worse than us. They were blindfolded, handcuffed and chained on their legs," she said.
However, she confirmed that none of the victims experienced sexual molestation during the 56-day period.
The captors constantly moved their hostages whenever they suspected security forces had located their hideouts. These midnight relocations became a nightmare of exhaustion and suffering.
"When the place was discovered, we had to move, and that usually started around seven or eight at night. Sometimes we walked for three to four hours.
That is why you see bruises on our bodies," Mrs Alamu explained. "The younger ones were carried, but the older children had to walk.
They fell many times. It was very difficult."
The initial journey deeper into captivity was equally harrowing. Mrs Alamu's car was used to transport some victims to meet primary school pupils and their teacher before the group was moved further.
"From there, we walked for about one hour before they brought motorcycles. About 10 motorcycles were used to move us for more than four hours through bush paths they knew very well," she recounted.
Despite the horrific conditions, the captives survived on minimal provisions. According to relatives, the victims subsisted on cocoyam, noodles and water from a waterfall throughout their 56 days in captivity.
