Oyo Principal Recounts 56-Day Captivity, Says Airstrikes Were More Frightening Than Bandits
By Peace Erewunmi
The Principal of Esinle Community High School, Mrs. Rachael Alamu, has recounted the traumatic experience of spending 56 days in captivity, revealing that at one point the captives feared military airstrikes more than the armed bandits holding them.
Speaking during a thanksgiving service at Antioch Baptist Church in Ogbomoso after her release, Alamu said the seventh week of their captivity was the most terrifying. According to her, intensified military air raids around the kidnappers’ hideout left the captives afraid they could be accidentally hit by missiles during the operation.
Alamu explained that although the military bombardment was aimed at flushing out the kidnappers, the captives constantly prayed that the strikes would not hit them. She said the fear created by the air raids temporarily overshadowed their fear of the bandits, even as they remained hopeful that they would eventually regain their freedom.
The principal was abducted alongside teachers and pupils from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. After spending nearly two months in captivity, the victims were rescued during a coordinated security operation and later reunited with their families.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Alamu expressed gratitude for surviving the experience and thanked security personnel, the Oyo State Government and everyone who supported efforts that led to the victims’ rescue.
