The Principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle in Oyo State, Mrs. Rachael Alamu, has shared a chilling account of the terrifying ordeal she endured after she was abducted alongside 43 students and teachers, describing the experience as one that left lasting emotional and psychological scars on all the victims.
Speaking publicly for the first time since regaining her freedom, Alamu recounted the moments of panic and confusion that unfolded when heavily armed gunmen invaded the school, forcing students and members of staff into the bush at gunpoint. She said the attack turned what began as a normal school day into a nightmare, leaving many of the victims fearing they would never see their families again.
According to the principal, the attackers struck without warning, creating chaos across the school premises before rounding up their victims and marching them into a nearby forest.
“The entire experience was terrifying,” she recalled. “The children were crying uncontrollably, while many of the teachers struggled to remain calm despite being equally frightened. At that moment, none of us knew what our fate would be.”
Alamu said the journey into the forest was physically exhausting and emotionally draining, with the captives forced to trek for hours through difficult terrain under the close watch of armed kidnappers. She revealed that some of the younger students found it difficult to keep pace and frequently broke down in tears from exhaustion and fear.
She explained that throughout their captivity, the victims were subjected to extremely harsh living conditions. Food and drinking water were scarce, forcing many of them to survive on very little while enduring hunger, fatigue and exposure to the elements.
Despite the difficult circumstances, Alamu said the teachers worked tirelessly to protect the students emotionally, offering words of encouragement and comforting those who became overwhelmed by fear.
“Our greatest concern was the children,” she said. “Many of them were traumatized. Some cried constantly and repeatedly asked whether they would ever return home to their parents. As teachers, we had to remain strong for them even when we ourselves were deeply afraid.”
She described the uncertainty of each passing day as one of the most difficult aspects of the ordeal, saying the captives had no information about what was happening outside the forest or whether rescue efforts were underway.
According to her, the victims spent every day praying and encouraging one another to remain hopeful despite the uncertainty surrounding their fate.
Alamu said the experience reinforced the importance of courage, faith and unity, adding that the teachers and students relied heavily on mutual support to cope with the emotional strain of captivity.
Following their release, the principal expressed profound gratitude to God for preserving their lives. She also thanked the Oyo State Government, security agencies, parents, traditional rulers, community leaders and everyone who worked tirelessly for their safe return.
She commended the bravery and resilience displayed by the students throughout the ordeal, noting that many of them showed remarkable strength despite the frightening circumstances.
“I thank God that every one of us made it back alive,” she said. “It is a miracle we will never take for granted. We are grateful to everyone who prayed for us and worked behind the scenes to secure our freedom.”
The principal, however, stressed that the traumatic experience should serve as a wake-up call for authorities to strengthen security around schools, particularly those located in rural and vulnerable communities.
She urged the federal and state governments to invest more in school security infrastructure, improve intelligence gathering, deploy more security personnel to vulnerable areas and establish rapid emergency response systems capable of preventing or quickly responding to attacks on educational institutions.
Education stakeholders have also renewed calls for comprehensive measures to protect schools, warning that repeated attacks on educational institutions threaten not only the safety of students and teachers but also the future of education in affected communities.
Security experts say kidnappings targeting schools have continued to undermine public confidence in the education system, with many parents increasingly reluctant to send their children to schools located in remote areas.
The abduction of Mrs. Alamu, alongside 43 students and teachers, has once again drawn national attention to the growing security challenges confronting schools across Nigeria and the urgent need for coordinated action to ensure that educational institutions remain safe places for learning.
As investigations continue, authorities have pledged to identify and prosecute those responsible for the attack, while residents of Ahoro-Esinle have appealed for a stronger and sustained security presence to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
