I prayed my grav£ wouldn’t be in the forest — Oyo school principal

I prayed my grave wouldn’t be in the forest — Oyo school principal

The principal of the secondary school abducted alongside teachers and pupils in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mrs Rachael Alamu
The principal of the secondary school abducted alongside teachers and pupils in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mrs Rachael Alamu

By
Hannah Johnson
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The principal of the Oyo school abducted by gunmen has recounted the harrowing final weeks of her captivity, describing how intensified military airstrikes, hunger, illness and repeated death threats tested the resolve of the hostages before they were eventually rescued.

Speaking on Sunday during a thanksgiving service at Antioch Baptist Church, Ogbomoso, Mrs Alamu said the seventh week of captivity was the most difficult as military operations against the kidnappers intensified.

“Just one instance, apart from seeing the hand of God right from the beginning, the seventh week was the hardest for us all. That was when the troops increased their air raids. It was so intense and persistent that at a point the fear of the bandits became secondary. We were just praying that missiles would not be accidentally dropped on us. But God kept us because we were so exposed, only covered with polythene bags and grasses,” she said.

She recalled that the kidnappers became enraged after hearing that the government had promised the hostages would be released before the end of the week.

“They had told us the previous week that the governor said that before Friday, the next week, we would be released. So we were calm. But when the air raids started on Tuesday, they became so furious,” she said.

According to her, the camp commander later summoned her and threatened to kill one of the captives.

“He said, ‘Principal, come.’ I was already shaking because I knew what that could mean. Immediately, he said, ‘See what your government has done. I’m going to kill one of you today.’ I just fell down, rolling on the ground,” she recounted.

Mrs Alamu said she pleaded with the commander to reduce his ransom demands rather than carry out the threat.

“I said, ‘What your heart is asking for is beyond any of the victims’ families. Just ask for what we can run around for.’ He said, ‘Okay, I will send you a message.’”

She added that later that night, the captives feared another hostage was about to be executed after hearing the kidnappers digging.

“Later in the night, we started hearing shovels working. The two men with us were shouting and pleading. We all knew what that meant. They were about to bury another person. But to the glory of God, they only asked us to move because they could no longer stay in that place,” she said.

The principal also described the harsh conditions in the forest, saying hunger became a daily reality because the kidnappers were afraid smoke from cooking fires would expose their location.

“They would say, ‘Mama Principal, tell them we are ready to sacrifice any one of them if they make noise. They cannot kill all of us.’ How do you tell a one-year, three-month-old baby not to cry? How do you tell a two-year-old that you must not ask for food? They were not free to prepare food because they were afraid the smoke would give them away. So we went hungry most of the time,” she said.

Mrs Alamu said she also battled illness during the final days of captivity but believed divine intervention preserved her life.

“I specifically asked God for two things. One, I prayed that I would not meet an empty house. I knew how fragile my husband’s health was. The other thing I specifically asked was for my health. I told God my grave should not be numbered in the forest.”

She recalled breaking down with a high fever during the last week and requesting medication from one of the kidnappers.

“I just called one of them, the camp commander. I said, ‘Can I have two tablets of paracetamol?’ He said, ‘No problem.’ The woman sitting next to me said, ‘Mommy, this is not paracetamol.’ I said, ‘God will work with it.’ I used it and, to the glory of God, it was as if I never had the symptoms of malaria.”

Reflecting on her rescue, Mrs Alamu described her release as miraculous.

“The release was miraculous. I cannot say this is what happened. But like the man in the Book of Luke who said, ‘I was blind, but now I can see,’ I know that I was incarcerated for a period of time, and at the right time God rescued me and brought me back to my people. So I give glory unto the Lord,” she said.