Segun Atanda/
The principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle, Mrs Rachael Folake Alamu, has revealed for the first time that kidnappers who abducted scores of pupils and teachers from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State executed a second teacher during their 56-day captivity in a calculated bid to pressure the government into meeting their demands.
Until now, public attention had focused on the killing of the school’s Mathematics teacher, Mr Michael Oyedokun, whose reported beheading just two days after the abduction sent shockwaves across the country and underscored the brutality of the attackers.
However, speaking on Monday after she and the rescued pupils and teachers were formally received by the Oyo State Government in Ibadan, Mrs Alamu disclosed that another abducted teacher, Deacon John Olaleye, was also killed by the kidnappers on the first Sunday of June, bringing the number of teachers murdered in captivity to two.
She said the executions were carefully orchestrated to force the authorities to yield to the kidnappers’ demands.
“The terrorists killed Mr Michael, the first teacher, on the second day of our abduction and Deacon, the second teacher, was killed on the first Sunday of June,” she said.
“They killed them purposely because they thought it would force the hand of the government to provide them whatever they wanted. They already knew that the whole world was interested in our case.
“We have scars already, and we believe that God will heal us. We appreciate everyone that contributed to this success.”
Mrs Alamu’s testimony provides the clearest explanation yet for the executions, indicating that the killings were deliberate acts intended to strengthen the kidnappers’ bargaining position rather than random acts of violence.
The revelation also clarifies that the abductors killed two teachers while the remaining captives watched helplessly, deepening the trauma endured by the pupils and surviving members of staff.
The deaths of Oyedokun and Olaleye came after another teacher, Mr Esiyan Adegboye, and a security guard were shot dead during the initial attack on the schools on 15 May. Adegboye was buried in Ogbomoso on 22 May.
Mrs Alamu described the 56-day ordeal as a daily struggle for survival, with pupils and teachers spending almost the entire period in the open forest, exposed to rain, scorching sunshine and constant fear.
“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.
“We knew it was only God that could help us, and we believed people were praying for us. That kept us going.”
She disclosed that although she was not physically assaulted, many of the younger pupils were severely beaten whenever they cried or made noise.
According to her, the kidnappers frequently tied the children’s mouths to stop them from making sounds that could expose the group’s location.
Mrs Alamu further revealed that the male teachers suffered the harshest treatment throughout the captivity.
She said they were routinely blindfolded, chained and tied up by the abductors.
Despite the prolonged ordeal, she said none of the pupils or teachers was sexually assaulted.
She added that during the first week of captivity, the kidnappers gave biscuits to the children in what appeared to be an attempt to calm them before conditions became increasingly harsh.
Mrs Alamu spoke shortly after she, the rescued pupils and other surviving teachers were formally handed over to the Oyo State Government by the Federal Government.
Video footage circulating online showed the victims arriving under heavy military escort before being received at the Government House in Ibadan.
Before the handover, the victims had spent several days receiving medical treatment and psychosocial support at the Military Hospital, Ibadan, following their rescue.
The abduction occurred on May 15 when heavily armed gunmen simultaneously attacked Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle; L.A. Primary School, Ahoro-Esinle; and Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, all in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, abducting scores of pupils, teachers and other school personnel.
The incident provoked nationwide outrage and renewed concerns over the growing wave of attacks on schools across Nigeria.
Following weeks of intelligence gathering and coordinated military operations, troops eventually rescued the surviving victims during carefully planned operations in the Old Oyo National Park and adjoining forests.
The Federal Government announced last Friday that all surviving abducted pupils and teachers had been rescued before formally handing them over to the Oyo State Government on Monday.
While the successful rescue has brought relief to families and communities, Mrs Alamu’s revelation that Deacon John Olaleye was also executed in captivity—months after the killing of Mr Michael Oyedokun had dominated public attention—has exposed the full human cost of one of Oyo State’s most harrowing school abductions and renewed calls for stronger protection of schools and more sustained action against armed groups operating in the country’s forests.
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