The principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle, Mrs. Rachael Alamu, has disclosed why two teachers abducted alongside dozens of pupils in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State were killed by their captors during the 56-day ordeal.
Speaking on Monday after she and the other victims were received by Governor Seyi Makinde at the Government House in Ibadan, Alamu said the kidnappers repeatedly warned that anyone who disobeyed their instructions or slowed down their movement through the forest would be executed.
According to the principal, the victims were forced to trek long distances almost every night as the kidnappers constantly moved from one hideout to another to evade security operatives.
She explained that the two slain teachers, Mr. Michael Oyedokun and Mr. Esiyan Adegboye, were killed after they became too weak to continue the exhausting journeys through the forest, with the kidnappers refusing to allow anyone who could no longer keep pace to remain alive.
Alamu recalled that the abductors subjected both the children and teachers to severe hardship throughout their captivity, saying the pupils were beaten, threatened and ordered to remain silent, while the male teachers were chained and blindfolded for long periods.
She added that the victims survived on very little food and water and were forced to endure harsh weather conditions while moving from one location to another in the forests.
The principal described the experience as traumatic, noting that the children lived in constant fear as the kidnappers frequently threatened to kill them whenever they noticed security personnel operating nearby.
The victims regained their freedom on Friday, July 10, 2026, after spending 56 days in captivity following their abduction on May 15, 2026, when gunmen attacked Community High School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School in Oriire Local Government Area.
The rescue operation led to the release of 39 pupils and seven teachers, while eight suspected kidnappers were arrested and several others were neutralised during the operation, according to government officials.