Why abducted Oyo teachers were killed – Rescued principal

The principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mrs Rachael Alamu, on Monday, recounted the harrowing 56-day ordeal she and 45 pupils and teachers endured in captivity. The victims were kidnapped on May 15 when terrorists attacked three schools – Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar […]

The principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mrs Rachael Alamu, on Monday, recounted the harrowing 56-day ordeal she and 45 pupils and teachers endured in captivity.

The victims were kidnapped on May 15 when terrorists attacked three schools – Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and LA Primary School – all in Oriire LGA.

They were rescued last Friday, 56 days after the abduction.

Two teachers were killed during the period in captivity.

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Speaking to journalists in Ibadan on Monday during the handover of the rescued victims to Governor Seyi Makinde by the Nigerian Army, Alamu said the kidnappers beat the children and killed two teachers to pressure the government into meeting their demands.

“Mr Michael was killed on the second day, while Deacon was killed on the first Sunday in June. They killed them purposely because they felt that would force the government to give them whatever they wanted,” she said.

She said the victims spent most of their time in captivity in the open forest, where they were exposed to harsh weather conditions and repeatedly beaten by their captors.

“We were in the forest, in the open most of the time, under the sun, under the rain. We knew it was God that could really help us; so that really helped us. And the fact that we believe that people are praying for us, that also helped us as well,” she said.

Reflecting on the experience, the school principal said there were moments when it seemed impossible to continue, yet they somehow found the strength to endure.

While she escaped physical assault, Alamu said several of the children were repeatedly beaten, particularly the youngest among them, whose cries angered their captors.

“Personally, I was not beaten, but some of the children were beaten. You know, children, some of them are quiet, some of them are loud. And what they hate most is noise because it attracts attention.

“The youngest of them, maybe the two, Walia and Salam, were the ones who took the best of the beating. They would close their mouths, tie them with clothes, and beat them very well,” she said.

According to her, the male victims endured even harsher treatment.

“The men, they had it worse than us because they were blindfolded, handcuffed and chained on the leg. All of them, until they remained two.”

The principal said the kidnappers constantly moved the captives from one location to another whenever they feared their hideouts had been discovered.

Alamu recalled that while the kidnappers occasionally carried the youngest children, most of the victims, including schoolgirls, had to trek through the difficult terrain.

She added that the victims only realised after regaining their freedom that many Nigerians had been following their ordeal and praying for their safe return.

 

Makinde asks UN to probe abduction

Meanwhile, Governor Seyi Makinde has called on the United Nations (UN) and international human rights organisations to investigate the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire LGA on May 15.

He spoke in a broadcast after receiving the rescued pupils and their teachers in his office in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Monday.

He said Nigerians deserve a full and transparent account of the incident, including who was responsible, whether there were institutional failures, negligence or collusion at any level, and the steps being taken to prevent a recurrence.

“This is not about politics. It is about justice for the victims, reassurance for our people, and restoring public confidence that every Nigerian child can go to school without fear,” Makinde said.

 

Police launch rescue operation for abducted Oyo headmaster

The Oyo State Police Command has launched a joint security operation to rescue Mathew Owoade, the 60-year-old headmaster of Nomadic Basic School, Igbojaye, who was abducted on Saturday evening.

Owoade, who is also a farmer and popularly known as Onaiye, was kidnapped between 5 pm and 6 pm along the Igbojaye–Budo Aare Farm Road.

The incident occurred just 24 hours after 46 pupils and teachers, who spent 56 days in captivity in the Oriire Local Government Area, were successfully rescued.

The victim’s son, Abiola Owoade, revealed that the kidnappers used his father’s phone to demand a N30 million ransom.

A family search party later found Owoade’s abandoned Bajaj motorcycle in the bush early Sunday morning, he added.

Oyo State Police spokesperson, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, confirmed that a comprehensive investigation is underway.

The command also clarified that, contrary to some media reports, Owoade was abducted on his farm and not within a school premises.

Olayinka said following the incident, Commissioner of Police Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga ordered the immediate deployment of a joint rescue team.

 

NUT demands rescue of all kidnapped teachers, pupils

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has called on the Federal Government to urgently strengthen security around schools, intensify efforts to rescue all kidnapped teachers and students still in captivity, and ensure perpetrators of attacks on educational institutions are brought to justice.

The National President of the NUT, Comrade Audu Amba, made the call on Monday during a press briefing in Abuja while reacting to the rescue of teachers and learners abducted on May 15, 2026, in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

While celebrating the successful rescue after 56 days in captivity, Amba said the development should not obscure the growing insecurity confronting Nigeria’s education sector.

He also urged authorities to fully implement and strengthen the Safe Schools Initiative nationwide and deploy adequate security personnel and modern surveillance systems to vulnerable schools.

Amba noted that despite the relief over the rescue of the Oyo victims, the union remains saddened by the murder of two teachers during the attack.

He further cited the abduction of 42 pupils in Mussa, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, describing the incidents as evidence that insecurity remains a major threat to education.