We slept in the forest, under rain and sun for 56 Days – rescued Oriire Principal recounts ordeal

The principal of the Baptist High School affected by the Oriire abduction, Mrs Racheal Alamu, on Monday gave a harrowing account of the 56 days she and her pupils spent in captivity, describing how they survived hunger, exhaustion, relentless trekking through forests and constant fear before their eventual rescue.

Speaking shortly after she and the other rescued victims were received by Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, at the Government House, Ibadan, Alamu said faith in God and the belief that people were praying for them kept them alive throughout the ordeal.

“You can only imagine it. It is like relieving the whole experience again. 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 God that could only help us. That really sustained us. We also believed that people were praying for us, and that gave us strength,” she said.

She explained that the kidnappers repeatedly forced the captives to abandon their hideouts whenever they suspected security operatives were closing in, leading to exhausting night journeys through the forest.

“When the place was discovered, we had to move. That usually started around seven or eight at night. Sometimes we walked for three or four hours. Most of the bruises you see on our bodies came from those movements,” she said.

According to her, the youngest children suffered the most during the repeated movements because they could barely cope with the long treks.

“The youngest children had to be carried most of the time by the older girls. The others walked, fell down many times and got injured.”

Alamu said that while she escaped physical assault, some of the children were repeatedly beaten by the kidnappers whenever they cried or made noise.

“Personally, I was not beaten, but some of the children were beaten. They hated noise because they believed it could attract attention.

“The youngest children, Waliat and Salam, suffered the most. They would tie pieces of cloth around their mouths to stop them from crying and beat them severely.”

She disclosed that the male captives endured even harsher treatment throughout the period in captivity.

“The men had it worse than us. They were blindfolded, handcuffed and chained on their legs almost throughout.”

Asked whether any of the captives suffered sexual molestation, the principal replied simply, “No.”

She also narrated how the abductors transported them deeper into the forest shortly after the abduction.

“My vehicle conveyed us to a point where we met the primary school pupils and their teacher. From there, we walked for about an hour before motorcycles were brought. About ten motorcycles conveyed us for more than four hours through difficult routes that only they knew.”

Despite surviving the ordeal, Alamu admitted that returning to work in a remote rural community would be emotionally challenging.

“I have worked for 28 years and I have only about four years left in service. Perhaps, with time, I will get over it, but going that far into a rural area again will take the grace of God.

“The distance to the school was already a great sacrifice because of transportation. Now, after this experience, I don’t know what will happen.”

Asked what she looked forward to most after regaining her freedom, the visibly emotional principal said her immediate desire was to reunite with her family.

“I just want to see my husband. When I get home, I can think about every other thing.”

Mrs Alamu and the pupils and teachers regained their freedom after spending 56 days in captivity following their abduction by armed men in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, in one of the state’s most traumatic school kidnapping incidents.