The principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele, Mrs. Alamu Folawe, has shared the heartbreaking details of the 56 days she, other teachers, and pupils spent in captivity, revealing that the k!dnappers deliberately k!lled two of their colleagues in a bid to pressure the government into meeting their demands.
Folawe made the disclosure on Monday, July 13, during the official handover of the rescued victims to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde by the Nigerian Army.
She explained that throughout their time in captivity, the abductors constantly used fear and psychological manipulation to break their spirit, repeatedly telling them that the government had abandoned them and no longer cared whether they lived or d!ed.
“A relief to us is that Nigerians were praying for us. Many times, they used fear to subdue us. At one point they told us the government wasn’t interested in our case anymore because they didn’t value us. But there were times we held on to hope that we would come out alive,” she recalled.
The principal further revealed that the k!dnappers mu√dered two of her colleagues as part of an attempt to force the government’s hand.
“Mr. Michael was k!lled on the second day, while Deacon was k!lled on the first Sunday in June. They k!lled them purposely because they felt that would force the government to give them whatever they wanted.
It was until we got out that we discovered the whole world was on our case. We have scars already, but we believe with time we will heal,” she said.
She also expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, Governor Seyi Makinde, the Nigerian Army and other security agencies involved in the rescue operation, as well as Nigerians whose prayers and support kept their hope alive throughout the traumatic experience.