Mrs. Rachel Alamu, the principal of Esinle Community High School, recently shared the harrowing details of her 56-day captivity after being abducted alongside students and staff in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. During a thanksgiving service at the Antioch Baptist Church in Ogbomoso, she explained that the seventh week of their confinement was the most terrifying period, as intense military air strikes targeted the kidnappers’ hideout.
Mrs. Alamu recalled that the constant threat of aerial bombardment became more alarming to the captives than the kidnappers themselves. She described moments of extreme vulnerability, noting that when the military offensive intensified, the captors grew agitated and threatened to kill the hostages. During one confrontation, a gang commander accused the government of hindering their operations and threatened to execute the captives, forcing Mrs. Alamu to plead desperately for their lives.
She recounted a particularly frightening night when the captives heard digging, leading them to believe the gunmen were preparing graves for their execution. Ultimately, the hostages were ordered to relocate instead of being killed. Mrs. Alamu emphasized that their survival was due to divine intervention and mercy, especially given the precarious health of her family members she worried about while held against her will. She credited her safe return to constant prayer and the grace of God.
