The principal of Oriire Community School, Mrs Rachael Alamu, has narrated the terrifying moment she and other victims faced during their 56 days in captivity.
In a video from from 2:47 shared by Splash FM, Alamu, who recently regained freedom from kidnappers, attended a church service with her husband for a thanksgiving and testimony. She also shared details of what happened during the seventh week of their captivity.
According to her, the victims had earlier been told by their abductors that they would be released before the end of the following week. This gave them some hope, and they remained calm.
However, she said the situation changed after airstrikes were carried out on Tuesday of that week. The kidnappers became angry, and the commander later called her and threatened to kill one of the captives, blaming the government’s actions.
Alamu explained that she became frightened and pleaded with the commander, reminding him that four people had already been lost and only two remained among those he was referring to. She said she begged him not to take another life.
She added that the commander later became calmer and asked what could be done. Alamu told him that the demands of the kidnappers were beyond the ability of the victims’ families and urged him to communicate only what could be handled.
The principal and other victims were eventually rescued after spending nearly two months in captivity. Their release followed a joint security operation involving the military and other agencies.
In her words, “The commander came, said, ‘Principal, come.’ I was already shaking, because I know what that could mean. Immediately I got there, he said, ‘See what your government has done. I’m going to kill one of you today.'”