“The youngest of them, Waliya and Salam, received the worst beating. They would cover their mouths with clothes, tie them and beat them severely,” the principal said.
The principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele, in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Rachael Alamu, has recounted the harrowing 56 days she and more than 40 abducted pupils and teachers spent in captivity, revealing that the kidnappers repeatedly beat some of the children while blindfolding, handcuffing and chaining the male captives.
Mrs Alamu spoke with journalists on Monday shortly after military formally handed her and other survivors over to the Oyo State Government following their rescue. She described the ordeal as one of the most traumatic experiences of her life.
While she escaped physical assault, she said many of the children were not as fortunate, they were beaten and tied.
“Personally, I was not beaten. Some of the children were beaten. You know children; some are quiet, some are loud. What they hated most was noise because they believed it could attract attention,” she said.
According to her, the youngest children suffered the worst abuse. “The youngest of them, Waliya and Salam, received the worst beating. They would cover their mouths with clothes, tie them and beat them severely,” she said.
Mrs Alamu said the male captives endured even harsher treatment. She said that they were chained to prevent them moving or plotting to escape.
“The men had it worse than us. They were blindfolded, handcuffed and chained on their legs,” she said.
She, however, said none of the female captives was sexually molested during the period they spent in captivity.
Mrs Alamu and other 43 victims regained their freedom after spending 56 days in captivity following their abduction from their schools in Oriire Local Government Area on 15 May.
They attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area– Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele; Primary School, Esinele; and Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota.
The victims, however, were rescued on 10 July after weeks of coordinated operations involving the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air Force, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Amotekun Corps, local hunters and vigilantes.
The rescue operation came at a heavy cost. Two teachers and several security operatives were killed during the abduction and rescue efforts, while teacher Michael Oyedokun was beheaded by the kidnappers in a video that shocked Nigerians and intensified calls for stronger security across Oyo State.
