Rescued Oyo Principal, Folawe Alamu, Recounts Final Days In Captivity: “We Prayed Missiles Wouldn’t Hit Us”

The principal of the Oyo school who was 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 about her ordeal, Mrs. Alamu said the seventh week of captivity was the most difficult as military operations against the kidnappers intensified.

“Apart from seeing the hand of God right from the beginning, the seventh week was the hardest for us. That was when the troops increased their air raids. It became so intense that the fear of the bandits became secondary. We were just praying that missiles would not be accidentally dropped on us,” she said.

She recalled that the hostages survived under makeshift shelters covered only with polythene sheets and grass, constantly exposed to the elements.

According to her, the kidnappers became enraged as military pressure mounted and threatened to kill another captive.

“The commander called me and said, ‘See what your government has done. I’m going to kill one of you today.’ I just fell to the ground, begging him. I told him, ‘You brought four of my people. There are only two remaining. You still want to take another one?'”

Mrs. Alamu said she pleaded with the gang leader to lower his demands, explaining that the victims’ families could not meet the ransom being demanded.

Later that night, she said the captives heard the sound of shovels digging, leaving them convinced another victim was about to be buried.

“We all knew what that meant. They were about to bury another person. But to the glory of God, they suddenly ordered us to move because they could no longer remain in that location.”

She also recounted the immense hardship endured by children in captivity, saying the kidnappers often avoided cooking for fear that smoke would reveal their location.

“The leader warned that they were ready to sacrifice anyone if the children made noise. How do you tell a one-year-three-month-old baby not to cry? How do you tell a two-year-old not to ask for food? We went hungry most of the time.”

Mrs. Alamu said throughout the ordeal she prayed for only two things: that her husband would still be alive when she returned and that she would not die in the forest.

“I told God, ‘My grave should not be numbered in the forest.'”

She revealed that she suffered a severe fever during the final week in captivity and was given tablets by one of the kidnappers after another captive warned her they might not be paracetamol.

“The woman beside me whispered, ‘Mummy, this is not paracetamol.’ I said, ‘God will work with it.’ I took it, and to the glory of God, it was as if I had never been sick.”

Describing her eventual freedom, Mrs. Alamu simply said:

“It was God’s hand. The release was miraculous.”