The principal abducted alongside teachers and pupils in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mrs Racheal Alamu, has narrated how the victims endured beatings, restraints and repeated nighttime journeys during their 56 days in captivity.
Naijaonpoint reports that Alamu said younger pupils were beaten whenever they cried or made noise, while male teachers were blindfolded, handcuffed and chained by their abductors.
She spoke on Monday after the rescued teachers and pupils were formally handed over to Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, at the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Ibadan.
The principal said the victims spent most of their period in captivity in the open forest, where they were exposed to rain, heat and other harsh conditions.
Alamu described the experience as extremely difficult, particularly because the teachers had to keep the children calm and hopeful despite having no means of escape.
She said, “You can only imagine it. 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.”
According to her, faith and the belief that Nigerians were praying for them gave the victims the strength to continue.
“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 school principal said she was not personally assaulted, but disclosed that some of the younger pupils were beaten for crying or making noise.
She explained that the abductors feared that sounds from the victims could expose their location to security operatives.
Alamu said, “Personally, I was not beaten, but some of the children were beaten. What they hated most was noise because they believed it could attract attention.
“The youngest children suffered the most. They would tie their mouths with pieces of cloth and beat them very well.”
She added that the male teachers were subjected to more severe restraints.
“The men had it worse than us. They were blindfolded, handcuffed and chained on their legs,” she said.
Alamu, however, stated that none of the victims was sexually assaulted during the period.
“There was no form of molestation,” she said.
The principal said the kidnappers frequently moved the victims whenever they suspected that security agencies had discovered their hideouts.
According to her, the captives were usually forced to begin walking at night and sometimes spent several hours moving through difficult forest terrain.
She said, “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.”
She said the abductors carried some of the youngest children, while the older pupils were made to walk despite exhaustion and repeated falls.
“The younger ones were carried, but the older children had to walk. They fell many times. It was very difficult,” Alamu added.
Recalling the early hours of the abduction, Alamu said her vehicle was used to transport some of the victims to a location where they met pupils and a teacher taken from another school.
She further stated, “My car was used to convey us to a point where we met the primary school pupils and their teacher.
