By Adeyinka Adeniran
In this interview, the rescued Principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele, Mrs Racheal Alamu narrates the ordeal of the victims while in custody of the kidnappers lasted for 56days. Excerpt:
Q: Can you share your experience from the forest?
A: May 15th, a Friday that started well, the elements for us… and for 56 days, we were in the bush. It’s a harrowing experience, but we thank God for seeing us through. We had to go through a lot. One thing we believed was that Nigerians were praying for us. So many times, they used fear to subdue us. At a point, they told us that the government would not be interested in our case again because they did not value us.
But there are times that we had hope that we would come out alive. Mr. Micheal was killed on the second day of our stay, but Deacon was killed on the first Sunday of June. The first Sunday of June. They killed them purposely because they felt that would force the hand of the government to give them whatever they want.
They tried a lot, but we are so grateful that we have the government that thought much of us. It was until we got out that we discovered that the whole world was interested in our case. We thought we were a write-off.
So, all I want to say is thank you very much to everybody, especially the officers, the governor, the president, everyone that has been involved in this case. We have scars already. We believe with time, we will heal. And we pray that those that lost their lives, the Lord will console the family.
So, on behalf of everyone, we are saying thank you from the depth of our hearts. We appreciate you so much. We appreciate all you have done, the efforts you have put in so that we all came out alive. Thank you so much. May God continue to bless you.
Q: How does it feel breathing the fresh air?
A: Mrs. Racheal Alamu: I’m fine. I’m fine. Thank you.
Q: Please take us through some of your journey while you were in there. How was the experience for you for 56 days?
A: It was… you can only imagine. And imagining it, even, is like reliving it. It was not easy. We were in the forest, in the open most of the time—under the sun, under the rain, with the children. But we kept going because there was no way out. We knew it was God that could only help us. So, that really helped us. And the fact that we believed that people are praying for us, that also helped us as well. And I cannot say it’s not God because, sometimes, things we go through, you think that when you break down, that will be the end. But you’ll just survive it.
Q: On some of these children, we saw scars. Were there moments you were maltreated?
A: 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—that it attracts attention. So, the youngest of them, maybe the two, Waliyat and Salam, they were the ones that took the best of the beating. They will close their mouth, tie it with clothes, and beat them very well. Then 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.
Q: Was there any form of molestation on anybody?
A: Sexual molestation? No. No. No.
Q: What next for you now? What is going to be on your mind? I know your husband can’t also wait to get to meet you.
A: I want to see my husband. When I get home, I can think of any other thing. But definitely, it has to be something that will be good for me.
Q: How did you constantly also pet the children? Because they are kids, and how were you able to cope with that?
A: We psyched them up. When we started, the first week, they were bringing biscuit for them, maybe to make them comfortable. But along the line, that stopped. Then we had to move from one point to another, and that was a major problem we had. When the place is discovered, we have to move, and that starts around 7:00, 8:00 in the night. Sometimes we walk three, four hours. That is what caused most of the bruises you see on our bodies.
Q: The children?
A: Yes, yes. They, they carry the last three: Salam, Waliyat, and Testimony. The girls, my, my, the secondary school girls will carry them, the other ones, they will have to walk. We fall, sometimes, a lot. A lot.
Q: How long did it take you on that day to navigate through that forest?
A: When we were taken, my car was used to convey us to a point. That was where we met the primary pupils and their teacher. So, we had to walk for about one hour. They brought motorcycles, about ten of them, so we were packed there. And we rode for more than four hours on charted paths, but they knew their way.
Q: Madam, when, when you were released immediately, one of the first things you said was, “Where is my car? Where is my husband’s?” Was there anything else going on in your mind at that particular time that you wanted an answer to immediately?
A: What actually happened, I thought they left the car there. The police would have towed the car to their office. But somebody showed me the car where it was burnt. And that was not the part we took. So, I thought, I think they drove it to that point before it was torched. That was not the way we took into the forest.
Q: Will this impact on you negatively in any way as a teacher going forward?
A: Going to rural area will take the grace of God. You know, with time, I’ve worked for 28 years, so I have four years. With time, maybe I can get over it. But going that far, the distance between that place and Ogbomoso is far already. So, I sacrificed a lot when it comes to transportation. Now, coupled with this, I don’t know what will happen. But, for now…
