Children Gagged, Teachers Chained During 56-Day Ordeal in Oriire Kidnap, Principal Reveals

Mrs. Racheal Alamu, the principal abducted alongside teachers and pupils in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, has shared details of their 56-day captivity, describing how children were beaten into silence, male teachers were chained and blindfolded, and the victims repeatedly trekked through forests at night to escape detection.

Speaking after the rescued victims were presented to Governor Seyi Makinde in Ibadan, Alamu said they spent most of their captivity in the open forest, exposed to rain and scorching sun while trying to keep the children alive.

“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,” she said.

“We knew it was only God that could help us, and we believed people were praying for us. That kept us going.”

Alamu said she was not physically attacked, but younger pupils suffered severe beatings whenever they cried.

“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,” she stated.

“The youngest children suffered the most. They would tie their mouths with pieces of cloth and beat them very well.”

She added that male captives faced harsher treatment.

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

According to her, the kidnappers regularly changed locations whenever they suspected security operatives were closing in, forcing the hostages to embark on lengthy nighttime treks that left many with bruises.

“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 recalled.

Alamu also revealed that after the abduction, the victims were transported by her vehicle, walked for about an hour and were later moved on about 10 motorcycles through forest routes for more than four hours.

Despite the harsh conditions, she said none of the captives was sexually assaulted.

“There was no form of molestation,” she said.

A relative of one of the rescued pupils, Olasunbo, said the children survived largely on cocoyam, noodles and water from a waterfall while in captivity inside the Oyo National Forest.

She praised security personnel for the successful rescue and offered condolences to families of officers who died during the operation.

Security sources said the rescue was achieved after extensive intelligence gathering, surveillance, communication interception and coordinated operations involving multiple security agencies. Rather than launching an immediate assault, operatives gradually isolated the terrorists by cutting off their supply routes and restricting their movement before securing the victims’ release.

Among those killed during the operation was Lt. Felix Ademe Isaac, who reportedly died after his convoy struck improvised explosive devices while leading the initial assault into the forest.

Retired military officers commended the collaboration among security agencies, saying the operation demonstrated the importance of intelligence sharing, patience and coordinated planning. They also rejected claims that ransom was paid, insisting the rescue was the result of sustained intelligence-driven operations and military pressure.

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