Mrs. Rachael Alamu, the principal of Community High School in Oriire Local Government Area, who was rescued alongside abducted teachers and pupils last Friday, has explained the reason why the kidnappers killed two of the teachers.
The teachers killed were a Mathematics teacher, Mr Michael Oyedokun, who was beheaded in the kidnappers’ den and Mr Esiyan Adegboye, 49, who was shot dead during the invasion.
Alamu made this known while speaking with newsmen on Monday.
The principal, the other rescued children and teachers were received by Governor Seyi Makinde at the State Government House.
She said, “There are times that we have hope that we will all come out alive. 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.
“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.”
Recounting their experience in captivity, the principal stressed that the victims spent most of the 56 days in the open forest, exposed to harsh weather conditions while trying to keep the children alive and emotionally stable.
“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 said.
Alamu disclosed that although she was not physically assaulted, several of the younger pupils suffered severe beatings whenever they cried or made noise.
