…Reveals Why Kidnappers Killed Two Oyo Teachers
…Asks For Husband, Car After Regaining Freedom
The Principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele in Oyo State, Mrs. Alamu Folawe, has narrated the traumatic ordeal she and other abducted teachers and pupils endured in the hands of their captors.
She revealed that the bandits knew every route inside the forest and forced them to trek for more than four hours through what she described as “chartered paths.”
Mrs. Folawe spoke on Monday after the official handover of the rescued teachers and pupils to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, where she recounted the physical abuse, long treks, constant movement from one hideout to another, and the uncertainty they faced throughout their captivity.
Describing how they were treated after being kidnapped, the school principal said the victims were subjected to severe beatings while the male captives suffered even harsher treatment.
“They closed our mouths, tied them with clothes, and beat us very well. Then the men had it worse than us because they were blindfolded, handcuffed, and chained,” she said.
When asked whether any of the victims experienced sexual molestation during the period of captivity, Mrs. Folawe responded simply, “No.”
Speaking emotionally after regaining her freedom, the principal also said she was eager to reunite with her family, particularly her husband.
She further disclosed that the kidnappers initially attempted to calm the frightened children by giving them biscuits, but the gesture stopped after the first week.
“When we started, the first week, they were bringing biscuits for them, maybe to make them comfortable. But along the line, that stopped. Then we had to move from one point to another,” she said.
“That was a major problem we had. When the place is discovered, we have to move. That starts around 7 or 8 in the night.”
According to her, the repeated relocation through the forest left many of the victims, especially the children, exhausted and injured.
“Sometimes we walk for four hours. That is most of the bruises you see on our bodies.”
Asked whether the children also endured the long treks, she replied in the affirmative.
“They carried the last thing, Salam, Waliat, and Testimony. The girls, my second son, the other ones, they have to walk. We fall sometimes.”
Mrs. Folawe also described how the abductors transported them deeper into the forest shortly after they were kidnapped.
“When we were taken, my car was used to convey us to a point. That was where we met the primary pupils and their teacher.”
“We had to walk for about one hour. They brought bicycle machines and about ten of them. So we were packed there.”
“We walked for more than four hours on chartered paths. But they knew their way.”
Responding to a question about why one of the first things she asked after regaining freedom was about her vehicle, Mrs. Folawe explained that she initially believed the car had been abandoned at the point where they were forced into the forest.
“What actually happened, I thought they left the car there.”
“I thought the police would have towed the car to their office. But somebody showed me the car where it was going. And that was not the path we took.”
“So I thought, I think they drove it to that point before it was touched. That was not the way we took either.”
The veteran educator also admitted that the traumatic experience could affect her willingness to continue working in remote communities despite nearly three decades of service.
Asked whether the incident would negatively impact her career as a teacher, she said:
“Going to a rural area, taking the place of work…”
“With time, I’ve worked for 28 years, so I have four years left. With time, maybe I can get over it.”
“But going that far, the distance between that place and Ogbomoso is far already. So I sacrifice a lot when it comes to transportation. Now, coupled with this, I don’t know what will happen.”
Mrs. Folawe’s account offers one of the clearest first-hand descriptions yet of the conditions endured by the rescued teachers and pupils during their captivity, highlighting the physical abuse, repeated forced movement through the forest, and the psychological trauma they experienced before regaining their freedom.