Rachael Alamu, principal of Community High School, Esin Ele, has recounted how terrorists beat some of the youngest schoolchildren abducted from Oriire LGA of Oyo state for making noise during their 56-day captivity.
Alamu was abducted alongside six teachers and 39 students
when terrorists attacked Community High School, Esin Ele; First Baptist Nursery
and Primary School, Yawota; and LA Primary School, Yawota, in Oriire LGA on May
15.
They were rescued on Friday after 56 days in captivity
during a joint security operation involving the Nigerian Army and the police,
backed by intelligence from the Department of State Services (DSS) after 56
days in captivity.
The pupils and their teachers were handed over to the Oyo
state government on Monday after receiving medical treatment.
Speaking with journalists at the government house in Ibadan,
the Oyo state capital, Alamu said although she was not physically assaulted,
the abductors repeatedly beat the younger children to keep them quiet.
“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,” Alamu said.
“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.”
Alamu said the victims spent most of their time in captivity
exposed to harsh weather conditions and were frequently moved from one location
to another whenever the kidnappers suspected their hideout had been discovered.
“…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 said the victims were initially driven in her vehicle
before being forced to trek and later transported on motorcycles deeper into
the forest.
“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.”
Asked whether she would return to the rural community where
she worked before the abduction, Alamu said she was undecided.
“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.
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