The rescued principal of Community High School in Oriire Local Government Area, Mrs. Rachael Alamu, has disclosed that the kidnappers killed two abducted teachers in an attempt to pressure the government into meeting their demands.
Speaking to journalists after she, other teachers and pupils were received by Governor Seyi Makinde at the Oyo State Government House, Alamu revealed that Mathematics teacher, Mr. Michael Oyedokun, was beheaded on the second day of their captivity, while Mr. Esiyan Adegboye was shot dead in early June. According to her, the abductors believed the killings would force the government to act quickly because the case had attracted nationwide attention.
Alamu recounted that the victims spent 56 days in the open forest, enduring harsh weather conditions while trying to keep the children safe and emotionally strong. Although she was not physically assaulted, she said several of the younger pupils were severely beaten whenever they cried or made noise.
The rescued pupils and teachers were later handed over to the Oyo State Government by the Federal Government after security agencies secured their release. They had been receiving medical care and psychosocial support at the Military Hospital in Ibadan, where Governor Makinde and APC governorship candidate Senator Sharafadeen Alli visited them before the official handover.